Topic primer

Christians love and believe in the importance of marriage. It is a key social institution and is good for the family and for society as a whole. Marriage is a gift from God and a high calling which should be respected and honoured by all. At CARE, we are committed to the view that understands marriage to be the voluntary union between one man and one woman, for life, forsaking all others. While to some this may seem old fashioned, we believe this is the way marriage was intended to be. Right across the globe, many different cultures all recognise the value and significance of the marriage union.

If you look at the available evidence, it clearly shows that marriage is good for children, good for adults and good for whole communities. The wellbeing of those involved in marriage is higher than those who are not. Marriage, therefore, brings with it benefits which go far beyond the fulfilment of romantic love. It teaches commitment at an incredibly deep level which, in turn, produces trust, security and support.

Where marriage is honoured, society thrives. If you look at what has happened in the last decades in the UK, we’ve seen family breakdown grow enormously. The awful reality is that many teenagers are more likely to own a smartphone than have a dad at home. The emotional cost of family breakdown is bad enough. But there is also an economic cost as well. Each year, it is estimated that family breakdown costs in the region of £50bn. This is more than some major Government departments have in their spending budgets.

The result of undermining marriage is the ruination of the family unit. The consequence of this is devastating for young people and their life chances. As Christians we should seek the good of our society. Convinced, as we are, that God’s ways are good for the whole of society, we should support and uphold marriage and the family as God’s better way for society to function.

CARE has been advocating for greater recognition of marriage in the tax system for a number of years. We’ve been producing annual reports for more than a decade. Alongside this work, we have also supported proposals for a Family Test to ensure all domestic policies do not undermine family life. Recent attempts have been made to introduce so called ‘no-fault’ divorce which would make obtaining a divorce even easier. Working with MPs we have raised awareness in the House of Commons on the risks associated with such a move.