Background sources
a) Marriage
The Case for Marriage – Why married people are happier, healthier and better off financially by Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher from 2000 (USA)
ISBN 0-7679-0632-2 is described as a critically important intervention in the debate about the future of the family. It is extremekly well researched and disproves many myths, shows how cohabition and marriage are not equivalent and that only marriage can deliver the benefits mentioned in its title
In the HOC consultation hand-outs for the consultation held in the House of Commons on 22/04/08 by the Movement for Marriage Dr. Trevor Stammers gave the presentation Marriage and Health on the health benefits of marriage – enlightening!
Dr. Alistair Noble gave the presentation Marriage and Education about the education policy concerning education about marriage is schools and the desirability of doing it.
Dennis Wrigley, Leader of the Maranatha Community gave the important contribution The Future of the Marriage-based Family
Strong Families Around the World by John DeFrain is a valuable article which appeared in Family Matters No.53 Winter 1999 from the Australian Institute of Family Studies and explains that much of the research on families in the 20th Century focused on families in trouble in an effort to answer the question, ‘Why do families fail?’ An alternative approach, focusing on families who are doing well, helps us find answers to the question, ‘How do families succeed?’. It includes the many universal qualities of strong families.
b) Cohabitation
The Facts behind Cohabitation by Patricia Morgan from Civitas explains how cohabitation differs from marriage and the negative effects it can have on the adults involved and their children.
c) Statistics
Marriage Facts produced by David & Liz Percival of www.2-in-2-1.co.uk and Harry Benson of Bristol Community Family Trust gives many statistics and positive facts about marriage in the UK.
d) Social challenges
The state of the nation report - Fractured Families 2006 from Breakdown Britain (BB_family_breakdown_IDS_Dec 2006.pdf) from December 2006 published by the Social Policy Justice Group UK analyses the state of families in the UK and “paints a worrying picture of family breakdown in the UK”. A must read to understand the problem.
This was followed 7 months later by Breakthrough Britain (see below under Strategy papers)
Strategy papers
The Proposal for a Strategy of the European Union for the Support of Couples and Marriage a working document of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community examines the problem of difficulties married couples face in contemporary Europe. Demographic implosion and family breakdown present serious risks, and high emotional, social and financial costs to European society. Directly or indirectly they are linked to the difficulties of couples to engage in and maintain stable relationships, to sustain enduring commitment and thus to promote marriage as its most fulfilled form.
The first action point mentioned is to:
“Support and promotion training for pre-marital couples and enrichment programmes for married couples such as couple communication training and stress prevention programs through an exchange of good practice and information campaigns”
Breakthrough Britain – Family Breakdown published by the Social Policy Justice Group UK in July 2007 proposes many solutions for tackling family breakdown in the UK including “Rolling out relationship education across the nation”. A must read to understand the tools which can be applied to tackle the problem.
Books and articles on Couple Relationship Education and Mentoring and Family Life
In the HOC consultation hand-outs for the consultation held in the House of Commons on 22/04/08 by the Movement for Marriage. Mr. Edmund Adamus Director of Pastoral Affairs for the Diocese of Westminster spoke on the State and the Family giving excellent information about the UK Catholic approach to Marriage Preparation and Marriage Enrichment
Mentoring Marriages by Harry Benson (UK) 2005 ISBN 1-85424-699-2 is billed as a clear, fun, easily-followed guide for people to mentor a less experienced couple, helping them to talk through issues to offer hope, ideas and a way forward. Essential reading for couple relationship education practitooners and one of a kind!
The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman (USA) 2004 ISBN 10: 1-881273-15-6, discuss whether a couple is speaking the same language and the key to understanding each other’s unique words. This is an essential part of a couple relationship education programme as part of a package with other tools.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen R. Covey (USA) 1997 ISBN 0-307-44008-7 is billed as jump-starting our thinking and behaviours so that we can give of our best and get the most blessings from our family. A very famous and effective author on the secret of highly effective families.