‘Asian families more likely to be led by a married couple’
REPORT SAYS GROWING UP IN TWO-PARENT HOMES RESULTED IN BETTER OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN
THE nuclear family, with children growing up in a loving set up with married parents, is declining fast in Britain – except in the British Asian community, research shows.
A report published last week reveals that there are 8.2 million families with children in the UK. Among white Britons, 22 per cent are single parents, 19 per cent are co-habiting, while 59 per cent are married or in civil partnerships (brought in initially for gay couples).
Among black Caribbeans, 57 per cent are lone parents, seven per cent are cohabiting, while 26 per cent are married or in civil partnerships. Among black Africans, 44 per cent are lone parents, seven per cent are co-habiting, and 49 per cent are married or in civil partnerships.
But more than half a century after Asians arrived in big numbers in the UK from the Indian subcontinent or east Africa, the traditional family structure has been retained.
Among Indians, single parents make up 11 per cent, while two per cent cohabit – but the proportion of those who are married or are in civil partnerships rises to 87 per cent. It can be assumed the overwhelming majority are married.
The figures are very similar for Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.
Among Pakistanis, 19 per cent are single parents, two per cent are co-habiting, and 80 per cent are married or in civil partnerships. Among Bangladeshis, 10 per cent are lone parents, two per cent are co-habiting, and 88 per cent are married or in civil partnerships.
The report confirms that families of Asian descent, including those with Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi heritage, are far more likely to be headed by a married couple. It also says children brought up in two-parent families do better at school and, generally, go on to achieve greater economic success later in life.
While these conclusions might seem like common sense, the report has done in-depth research into contemporary family life. The report, published by Dame Rachel de Souza, the children’s commissioner for England, was commissioned by the former communities minister, Kemi Badenoch, at the recommendation of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities.
The commission found that family life was a key factor in many of the disparities seen in children’s outcomes.
De Souza said: “Family structure has gradually changed over the last 20 years. There are fewer married couples. There are more couples cohabiting. There are fewer ‘traditional’ nuclear family units. Family is always changing. It is dynamic and we need to find new ways to stay up to date with how it is changing, so we can support it effectively.”
She called on the new prime minister to put families at the heart of policy: “The research shows for the first time that family provides a shield from life’s challenges. That is why the government needs to prioritise how they can put families at the heart of all of policy decisions.”
Researchers found that those who felt they were spending the right amount of time with their children were happier than those who were spending too little time with them.
Getting on well with either of your parents aged 13 is linked with two per cent higher wages aged 25, the study found.
Data in the report revealed that among families who eat dinner together at least six days a week, 75 per cent of parents were happy with their life, compared with 70 per cent overall.
The review also analysed the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on families. It reported that the time fathers spent on unpaid childcare doubled from 47 minutes a day in 2014-2015 to 90 minutes a day during lockdown, dropping back to 56 minutes this year.
About 25 per cent of parents reported that their relationship with their children had become better in lockdown, with five per cent saying it got worse.
Harry Benson, research director at the
Marriage Foundation, said: “It shouldn’t come as a surprise that as marriage rates have fallen, the make-up of families has started to change. Hostile policymakers have tried to pretend marriage doesn’t matter, while current social policy massively penalises low-income couples who marry or even live together through the couple penalty in the benefits system.
“Our research shows that most young adults still want to marry and all the evidence supports this as a good choice, especially for raising children.”
Donna Molloy, from the charity the Early Intervention Foundation, said the review signalled the need for an increase in support for families affected by the cost-of-living crisis. “This report highlights why strengthening families and family relationships are an essential focus for policy and support services.
“The children’s commissioner is right to say that being in a family can have a protective effect on children and indeed lead to better outcomes in life.
“However, as the report points out, this is not always the case and families can also be a source of risk, particularly where issues such as parental substance abuse or domestic violence occur.
“With steep increases in the cost of living, parents need support, to reduce financial pressures and to deal with the stresses these can place on family life.”
The percentage of single parents of 22 per cent in the UK is higher than France (19.6), Sweden (18.3), Belgium (15.1) and Germany (14.7).
There are higher proportions in Estonia (29.3), Denmark (25.2), Lithuania (24.5), and Latvia (23.9). The average across the EU is 12.6 per cent.
The report was analysed on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, with presenter Amol Rajan offering the following introduction: “The traditional nuclear family is declining in Britain at an accelerating rate. Nearly half of British children now do not grow up in a twoparent household. Marriage is in retreat. Cohabiting is on the rise. Of the 8.2 million families with children in the UK, 23 per cent are headed by a lone parent. Of those, about 90 per cent are women. There are significant disparities between ethnic minorities.”
De Souza told the programme that children had told her that “family was absolutely the most important thing to them. And we knew that a supportive loving family meant better outcomes at 16. And happy children. And our data has shown better earning potential at 25, as well.
“I want the government to be less squeamish while talking about family, to really embrace the protective effect of family, especially going into tough
times.”