HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE MODERN FAMILY

Is the family in decline? Do politicians care? Our nationwide survey found out
The Government is calling for a return to traditional family values to halt what it describes as the "breakdown
of society". But what are traditional family values, and can they really change the way we live? To find out what you
think, we commissioned a nationwide Gallup survey of parents who have children aged up to 15.
Is society changing? The overwhelming response was yes: 71 % agreed that family values are weaker today
than when they were growing up, and 64 % claimed that it is more difficult being a parent today. Reasons given were
the greater exposure of children to drugs and alcohol, the increasingly dangerous nature of society, and advertising
campaigns which encourage children to be materialistic.
Which values are important? More than 80 % thought it was very important for children to be disciplined
and well-behaved. But less than half think it's important to stay together for the sake of the children. Only 24 %
believe it's very important that parents should be married rather than living together.
Being a parent More than 80 % said that watching children grow up is one of life's joys (a view more popular
with fathers than mothers). While 26 % believe society places too much pressure on people to have a family, 19 %
think that marriage is not complete without children. Four per cent believe that people who choose to remain childless
are selfish and 2 % think that children are more trouble than they are worth.
The role of the father Almost 60 % of men believed they were more involved with their children's care than
their father was with them, especially the older fathers. And many women (45 %) agreed that their partners were
more involved with children than their fathers were.
Do politicians care? Just over 40 % of respondents thought that Labour cared most about the interests of the
family; 7 % thought that the Conservatives were the most caring party (this dropped to 3 % among single parents).
One in five believes that no party cares about family interests.
Single parents Half of parents believe that a single parent can bring up children as well as a couple. More
than half (57 %) believe that lack of affordable childcare keeps single parents in the poverty trap, 31 % think the
Government should provide single parents with all the financial support they need, 19 % said that single parents
should not expect the state to look after them, and 10 % thought that single parents should be supported by their own
parents.
Working mothers While 40 % said that mothers of pre-school children shouldn't go out to work, 70 % think
that a happy working mother can enrich her children's lives. When children reach school age, 6 % said mothers
should not work; 22 % think it's acceptable for mothers to work full- or part-time, and 41 % think they should work
part-time only. As for mothers who choose to stay at home, one in four parents thinks they should be paid a wage by
the Government, 54 % think that all mothers should be given financial support, and 27 % believe that help should
only be given to low-income families.
Juvenile crime Almost everyone surveyed believed that juvenile crime had increased — 8 % blamed working
mothers, but 70 % agreed that what was important was a lack of parental discipline, combined with violence on
television (56 %) and easy access to drugs (55 %). Poverty also played an important part (52 %), and 44 % blamed
lenient sentencing by the courts.
Divorce Most (66 %) believe it is up to the individuals concerned, but 21% said that divorce should be made
more difficult, and 3% said it shouldn't be allowed at all.
Child support More than 60 % believe that separated fathers should share the financial responsibility for
children. And while 28 % thought the Child Support Agency is helping women and children get the maintenance they
deserve, 55 % believe that it's targeting the wrong men, i.e. responsible fathers who are already paying maintenance.
However, 28 % thought it was right that men should be penalised financially for starting new families when they
cannot support existing chidren.
GUIDE
FOLLOW-UP
1. Name the family values that you rank high.
2. Do you agree that:
a. being a parent is more difficult today than it used to be;
b. the state doesn't care about the family unit;
c. a woman should not go out to work if she has children;
d. it's important to stay together for the sake of children;
e. men should be penalized financially for starting new families when they cannot support existing children;
3. Introduce some means that are to be taken to improve the status of the family.