Couples are getting married five years later than a decade ago, according to official statistics that underline the falling popularity of marriage. In addition, only a third now marry in church. The average age of a woman getting married is 33.8 years, up from 29.1 a decade ago, while the average age of a man...
Children in England are feeling increasingly unhappy, despite a Government campaign to make it the “best place” in the world to grow up, according to research. A third of young people said they did not feel happy with life – up two percentage points in the last 12 months, said the Government-backed study. Growing numbers...
Family breakdown in Britain cost tax-payers £41 billion a year according to a new report. Over £12bn is accounted for by tax and benefits payments to broken families and another £8bn by civil and criminal justice spending. The study was produced by the Relationships Foundation. The cost per tax-payer is £1,350 a year.. Executive Director...
The benefits of good marital relationships “extend far beyond the home into the community” and society has a collective vested interest in ensuring that marriages work well, President Mary McAleese has said. She was speaking at the launch of National Marriage Week, an initiative to support and encourage married couples and those preparing for marriage...
A motion calling for the right to abortion in all EU member-states, gender quotas in the workplace, and the promotion of “diversification of career choices, especially for girls”, is set for a vote in the European Parliament tomorrow. The motion also calls on member-states to launch campaigns that “ highlight men’s role in better sharing...
There is a strong and enduring demand for Catholic schools, President Mary McAleese told a Catholic school management conference last week. She said this demand endures “even as multi-faith and secular constituencies are assuming ever greater responsibility for wider, more customised choice in education”. Addressing the inaugural conference of the Le Chéile Schools Trust, she...
A Muslim is demanding that the Irish state recognise his polygamous marriage in a High Court case. The man is from Lebanon, where polygamy is permitted. He is married to two women and has been granted Irish citizenship. Seven years ago the Department of Justice refused to grant the man’s first wife a visa. The...
The Union of Students in Ireland is to distribute packs containing condoms and contraception information to some 45,000 students in college campuses across the country. The USI says the aim is to encourage students to have safer sex and make informed decisions on contraception. “There has been a dramatic rise in the numbers of sexually...
Iona director addresses Brussels conference on religion and the EU
Get Church out of primary schools, head of Euro think tank says
