THE family is the bedrock of any society.
My belief is supported by evidence which shows conclusively that stable families – of every kind - produce the best outcome for children, which in turn benefits the country.
But, I think it’s fair to say that family life is under threat.
Fewer young people marry, with unmarried 25 to 35-year-olds doubling in the UK in 30 years.
More of us divorce, our rates being the highest in the OECD at 44 per cent.
Fewer women become mothers.
Only one in five was childless at 30 in 1941; it’s now one in two, and fewer children are born overall.
A clue may lie in a recent YouGov poll for the Prince’s Trust, which showed half of young people worry they will never be able to afford children.
The cost of living has soared but, for more than 50 per cent of families where both parents work full-time, taxation is the real culprit.
For example, a married father of three and a single man are taxed at the same rate, despite the higher outgoings inevitably faced by the parent.
It’s almost impossible for a family to survive on one salary, so three quarters of all mothers of dependent children now work.
Yet polls consistently show that mothers of pre-school children would work less, or not at all, if they could afford it.
So, rather than mothers handing their babies over to the state for 30 hours a week, would it not be better to implement tax breaks, allowing each family to choose what’s best for them.
Research shows that while childcare costs are very similar across Europe, we are alone in taxing parents so highly.
Surely the individual knows how to spend their hard-earned money far better than the state.