Married couples far more likely to be together by the time their children are teenagers than unmarried parents – as almost half of 14-year-olds no longer live with both their mother and father

• Almost half of first-born children no longer lived with both parents at age 14
• But 84 per cent of half still in a stable household lived with married parents

Married couples are far more likely than unmarried ones to still be together by the time their children reach teenage years, a report has found. 

Analysis of a long-running survey of British children born at the turn of the millennium uncovered a ‘depressing picture’ of family breakdown, researchers said.

By the time they turned 14, almost half (46 per cent) of first-born children no longer lived with both their mother and father, the Marriage Foundation think-tank found.

This comprised 19 per cent of teenagers born to single parents, 14 per cent whose parents had divorced and another 13 per cent whose parents had split up. 

But among the 54 per cent still in a stable household, a stark divide emerged. The overwhelming majority (84 per cent) of parents who were still together were married, while just 16 per cent were unmarried, data from the Millennium Cohort Study which followed 18,000 families showed. 

Married couples are far more likely than unmarried ones to still be together by the time their children reach teenage years, a report has found

Report author Harry Benson, from the Marriage Foundation, said his study showed the ‘simple truth that marriage matters’. 

He added: ‘Marriage provides relationship clarity and encourages good things like sacrifice and forgiveness, which are so important when children are involved. 

This is why couples who have tied the knot tend to be more stable and more likely to weather the challenges that life throws at them.’ 

Sir Paul Coleridge, the think-tank’s founder, said: ‘Every experienced parent knows that if adolescents are to successfully navigate the scary teenage years they need a secure and a stable family environment. 

If you want to experience the rich rewards of fully enjoying your children… marrying the other parent is a crucial first step.’ 

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