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Broken Homes Mean Bleak Future
By Jenny Booth and Melanie Brooks

Children who grow up with married parents are healthier, happier and more likely to do well than those raised by single parents, according to the most extensive study so far on the effects of marital breakdown.

The survey by the independent think-tank Civitas, based on analysis of more than 100 pieces of research carried out over two decades, found the sons and daughters of married couples were also less likely to suffer physical and mental illness or become drug addicts or criminals.

This remained the case even when their background was as poor and underprivileged as the children of lone parents.

The findings were equally bleak for parents. Single mothers were poorer, more depressed and less healthy than married women, while lone fathers had higher death rates, drank more and indulged in more unsafe sex.

Rebecca O'Neill, the author of the British report, said her findings prove the benefits of traditional family life.

Her evidence, she said, shows no amount of spending on extra benefits for single mothers will put their children on an equal footing with those of a married couple. She urged parents whose marriages were in trouble to think longer and harder before taking the decision to separate -- even if staying together makes them unhappy.

According to Statistics Canada, nearly 20 per cent of households with children are single-parent families, about double the number in 1971. The majority are headed by mothers.

Linda Castelino, president of the Mississauga chapter of Parents Without Partners, said Ms. O'Neill's findings were "harmful generalizations."

"Obviously, parents do not choose to raise their children alone," said Ms. Castelino, a high school teacher with two teenage daughters. "But many single families, especially today, have a large support network from family, neighbours and groups such as Parents Without Partners."

She cited other studies that show environment and genetics have more to do with a child's development than how many parents are in the house.

"I believe if you create a stable, loving environment for your children, that will benefit them more than if you stayed in a dysfunctional marriage."

Ms. O'Neill, however, says research shows that isn't true.

"Lots of people become lone parents in crisis situations, and they are told that everything will be OK," said Ms. O'Neill. "But if they really knew that separating would have an impact on their family's well-being, then they might decide to work harder at their marriage and stick together."

Ms. O'Neill spelt out a litany of problems faced by children from broken homes. They were 50 per cent more likely to suffer health problems, twice as likely to run away from home and five times as likely to suffer abuse. Children living without their natural father were also three times as likely to have difficulty getting along with other people and to struggle at school.

As teenagers, they were twice as likely to drink, smoke, take drugs, play hooky and leave school at 16 without qualifications, and three times as likely to be excluded from school. They were also nearly twice as likely to commit crime, have underage sex and to become teenage parents.

In adulthood, the children of broken homes were twice as likely to have no qualifications by the age of 33 and to be unemployed, and three times as likely to be caught offending and go to jail.

U.S. research cited by Ms. O'Neill also showed that they were more than twice as likely to have long-term emotional or behavioural problems. She said it appeared to be the psychological damage inflicted on children during and after divorce that seemed to be responsible for their greater propensity to unhappiness and self-destructive behaviour.

Ms. O'Neill said she had not set out to criticize single mothers, and at the start she had leant toward the view that all forms of family were equally valid.

But her views changed as her research went on. "The natural response for people who don't like the report's findings is to say: 'This is a generalization that doesn't cover me,' or: 'I know a great single mother whose kids are absolutely fine,' " said Ms. O'Neill.

"Of course, it may be true that the kids are happy now and the problems might not show themselves for 15 or 20 years. We are not saying that all lone parent families are bad or destined to ruin their children's lives."

Civitas is a British independent charity dedicated to bettering the understanding of "the morale framework that makes a free and democratic society possible." Its research examines four areas: health, welfare, education and family. The full text of the Civitas report on the effects of the decline of the two-parent family can be viewed on the Internet at www.civitas.org.uk.

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