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INTRODUCING
'THE MARRIAGE MANIFESTO'
September,
2007
The
'Marriage Manifesto' - a significant
new document that presents an analysis
of the current perspective and attitudes
to marriage in Australia, was launched
on Tuesday 18th September AD 2007
at the 'National Strategic Summit
on Marriage, Family and Fatherhood'
in Parliament House Canberra.
I was privileged to attend the summit
and honored to be a signatory to
the document .
Summit convenors Warwick & Alison
Marsh from 'The Fatherhood Foundation',
who worked tirelessly to bring together
a coalition of individuals and organisations,
were also our gracious hosts on
the day as they introduced the excellent
line of speakers.
We
also heard from a number of federal
politicians incl. the Attorney General
Philip Ruddock & the Prime Minister
John Howard who encouraged the men
& women present and endorsed the
vision and values of the summit.
Published
by the National Marriage Coalition
in association with other groups
from within the Australian Marriage
Movement, many of whom are listed
as signatories , the 'Marriage Manifesto'
was made possible through the generous
commitment of the many supporters
who have made valuable contributions;
including Neil and Jane Rookes (National
Marriage Coalition), Warwick & Alison
Marsh (Fatherhood Foundation), and
Byron & Francine Pirola (PMRC Australia).
Here
is an outline with some excerpts
from the 'Marriage Manifesto'. For
full details check out the PDF attachement.
"We
believe that marriage needs to be
reaffirmed because:
- "
The divorce and co-habitation
revolutions have failed. "
- Divorce
has not delivered greater personal
happiness; "
-
Co-habitation has been conclusively
shown to be a less stable alternativeto
marriage.
- "
Unwed-childbearing is failing
women. "
- We
value freedom and cherish social
equity. "
- There
is a widespread longing for marriage
For
these reasons we come together as
a coalition of individuals and organisations
to:
- "
Help men and women achieve a caring,
collaborative, and committed bond,
with a strong foundation of mutual
respect between spouses "
- Help
reduce divorce and unmarried childbearing,
so that each year more children
will grow up in the security of
a stable and functional two parent
home.
CHANGE
IS POSSIBLE Three misconceptions stand
in the way of a renewed public commitment
to marriage:
1. The Argument from Despair.
2. The Fear of Hurting Single
Parents
3. The Privatisation of Marriage
SEVEN
DIMENSIONS OF MARRIAGE Marriage
has at least seven important dimensions:
1. Marriage is a legal contract.
2. Marriage is a financial partnership.
3. Marriage is a covenant or sacred
promise.
4. Marriage is an exclusive sexual
union.
5. Marriage is a personal bond.
6. Marriage is a family-making
bond. .
7. Marriage fosters effective
fathering.
Twenty-One
Reasons WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS
FAMILY
1.
Marriage increases the likelihood
that fathers have good relationships
with their children.
2. Cohabitation is not the functional
equivalent of marriage.
3. Growing up outside an intact
marriage increases the likelihood
that children will themselves divorce
or become un-wed parents.
4. Marriage is a virtually universal
human institution.
ECONOMICS
5. Divorce and unmarried childbearing
increase poverty for both children
and mothers.
6. Married couples seem to build
more wealth on average than singles
or cohabiting couples.
7. Married men earn more money than
do single men with similar education
and job histories.
8. Parental divorce (or failure
to marry) appears to increase children's
risk of school failure.
9. Parental divorce reduces the
likelihood that children will graduate
from college and achieve high-status
jobs.
PHYSICAL
HEALTH AND LONGEVITY
10. Children who live with their
own two married parents enjoy better
physical health, on average, than
do children in other family forms.
11. Parental marriage is associated
with a sharply lower risk of infant
mortality.
12. Marriage is associated with
reduced rates of alcohol and substance
abuse for both adults and teens.
13. Married people, especially married
men, have longer life expectancies
than do otherwise similar singles.
14. Marriage is associated with
better health and lower rates of
injury, illness, and disability
for both men and women.
MENTAL
HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING
15. Children whose parents divorce
have higher rates of psychological
distress and mental illness.
16. Divorce appears significantly
to increase the risk of suicide.
17. Married mothers have lower rates
of depression than do single or
cohabiting mothers.
CRIME
AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
18. Boys raised in single-parent
families are more likely to engage
in delinquent and criminal behaviour.
19. Marriage appears to reduce the
risk that adults will be either
perpetrators or victims of crime.
20. Married women appear to have
a lower risk of experiencing domestic
violence than do cohabiting or dating
women.
21. A child who is not living with
his or her own two married parents
is at greater risk of child abuse.
For
more information contact
National Marriage Coalition
Neil and Jane Rookes
28/18 Day Street North
Silverwater
NSW 2128
P: 02 96486464
M: 0434984295
marriage@sterlingmanagement.com.au;
www.marriage.org.au
Fatherhood Foundation
Alison Marsh: 0401 257 372
Warwick Marsh: 0418 22 5 212
PO Box 542
Unanderra
NSW 2526
02 4272 6677
info@fathersonline.org
www.fatherhood.org.au
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