Family Life

Report Shows Importance of Family Despite Divorce Rate

The report says that -- despite the rise in the divorce rate and changing characteristics of people's lifestyles -- the family continues to be an important institution in society; it provides invaluable care and support.

Most family members retain regular contact with close relatives, and the majority -- 83 percent -- take part in family gatherings at Christmas. Few say that they would rather spend time with friends than with family, and only seven percent believe friends are more important.

Most absent fathers keep in contact with their children; 47 percent see their children at least once a week and only three percent don't see them at all.

Mum and Dad -- more popular than ever

The survey also shows that a growing number of adult men are shunning the chance of leaving home. The study found an increase in the number of men in their late 20s and early 30s who were opting to stay at home with their parents.

In 1996, one in nine 30-34 year-olds chose not to leave - compared with one in eleven in 1991. Nearly one in four 25-29 year-old men were living with their parents last year, compared with one in five in 1991. The rise is the first since records began twenty years ago.

One of the report's authors, Peter Newman, said: "The increase in the age of marriage, even though pre-marital cohabitation is greater, could be one of the reasons why adult men are living with their parents.~