In 1998, the newly elected Labour government, eager to be seen as supportive of marriage and families, was evidently so alarmed at the high divorce rate that it commissioned a series of reports into the causes of marriage breakdown and the ways in which it could be tackled.
One suggestion among many was to provide couples intending to marry with some form of preparation course – a secular alternative to those which then, as now, were largely the preserve of religious bodies. But however well intentioned that initiative may have been (although I haven't heard much more about it since), offering marriage preparation primarily as a strategy to reduce the risk of divorce is not the best way to enthuse idealistic young people looking forward to a lifetime of love and happiness.
Read Full Article »