Married with 2.4 children no longer 'typical family'

A new think-tank called the Centre for the Modern Family, launched today, suggests that more than half of British families feel their family is unrepresented by politicians, the media, and advertising, who as a consequence do not take their family set-up into account.

Fifty-seven per cent of people no longer believe that a couple with children have to be married to be a family, 77 per cent believe that single parents can be ‘a proper family’, and 59 per cent believe that same sex couples can be a family.

However, a significant minority do not hold these views. A third believes that a couple should be married to be a family, and a similar number do not consider same sex couples to be ‘a proper family’. Seventeen per cent hold the same views about single parents.

The findings are based on in-depth telephone interviews with 3,000 adults. The researchers say it is the first report of its kind that looks at attitudes to family life.

The Centre for the Modern Family is made up of experts in family life, including Professor Tanya Byron, Dr Samantha Callan from the Centre for Social Justice, Dr Katherine Rake, chief executive of the Family and Parenting Institute, and Dr Husna Ahmed, CEO of the Faith Regen Foundation.

Professor Tanya Byron said, ‘Family is the spine of society.  Everyone comes from a family, everyone has an opinion on family, and without this vital support network many of us would simply break.  

‘At a time of continued social change and as the financial squeeze on families gets even tighter, the Centre for the Modern Family aims to improve understanding, and ultimately strengthen families - in all their varied forms  - across the country.’

Lord Leitch, the centre’s chair, said, ‘As a business established to support families, Scottish Widows has created a new think-tank to help us better understand the complex support networks that we draw on throughout our lives. 

‘This research raises a number of important issues about British families. The Centre for the Modern Family has been created to address these important issues which have such a huge affect on society.’