Family First - WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS.

FAMILY GROUPS RELEASE
MARRIAGE REPORT

Media Release 10 Sep 09
"21 Reasons WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS" - a trans-tasman effort to highlight the benefits of marriage has been released in New Zealand. The report was commissioned by Family First NZ and FamilyLife NZ in conjunction with a number of family organisations in Australia including the Australian Family Association, Family Voice Australia and Dads4Kids and is an update of the report originally released in the US in 2002.

Family First's Bob McCoskrie and Family Life's Andy Bray have contributed to the report and some of the photography includes a recently married Kiwi couple posing in front of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

"This edition has 146 researched footnotes including NZ-based research and presents strong evidence that marriage is more than a private emotional relationship. It is a social good and we should develop policies, laws, and family and community interventions to help strengthen marriages. The weakening of marriage is one of the most important social issues we are facing in NZ," says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

Andy Bray (right), National Director of FamilyLife NZ says, "Despite the decline in the marriage rate, and an increase in couples choosing not to marry, statistics prove again and again that married life, while not perfect, still provides the very best environment for personal health and wealth, for raising secure responsible children, and for a more enjoyable sex life. That's why we invest our lives into equipping people with skills to enjoy married life. We also believe it helps build a stronger nation."
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Call For National Debate On Promoting Marriage

Family First Media Release 10 Sep 09
Family First NZ is calling for a nationwide debate on promoting marriage as a result of their just-released report "21 Reasons Why Marriage Matters" which documents the psychological, social, economical and health benefits of marriage.

"It is time that government policies and rhetoric acknowledged that there is a difference in terms of outcomes between marriage and other forms of relationship," says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

"Family breakdown and decreasing marriage rates are seldom considered in debate on social policy issues, such as poverty among families with children. A recent 70-page report issued by the Children's Commissioner and Barnardos contained no reference to marriage or divorce, despite the rate of poverty being five times higher for sole parent families."

"Whenever marriage is promoted, it has often been labeled as an attack on solo or divorced parents, and that has kept us from recognizing the qualitative benefits of marriage which have been discovered from decades of research."

"Marriage has changed a great deal, with the marriage rate at approximately 14 marriages per 1,000 married adults, less than a third of the peak level of 45.5 per 1000 recorded in 1971. It has been impacted over the past decades by an increased level and acceptance of divorce, cohabiting, and unwed childbearing. NZ has a high teenage birth rate and sole parents with dependent children made up 30 percent of families with children."

"Yet in virtually every category that social science has measured, children and adults do better when parents get married and stay married - provided there is no presence of high conflict or violence."

"The Statement of Intent just published by the Families Commission fails to mention marriage even once. Yet domestic violence and child abuse - two pet topics of the Commission - is far more prevalent in families where the biological parents are not both present and married."

Family First in conjunction with the NZIER has also highlighted the 'marriage tax' which penalises a married couple by up to $15,000 in their household income compared with a couple who separates or divorces.

"Marriage is like a 'life quality' insurance policy for children and parents and it's time we were honest enough to admit that,' says Mr McCoskrie.

CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE http://www.nzmarriage.org.nz/
DOWNLOAD Full Report DOWNLOAD Snapshot Summary
You can order copies of the report by emailed denise@familyfirst.org.nz. Copies cost $5 each


DOWNLOAD Family First's research from 2008
The Value of Family
(Fiscal Benefits of Marriage and Reducing Family Breakdown in New Zealand)