- The Iona Institute - https://ionainstitute.ie -

Family ‘unfriendly’ Britain should copy Hungary, says thank-tank

Family policy in Britain reveals an ambivalent attitude to marriage [1] and stands in stark contrast to the marriage-promoting policies of Hungary, according to a pro-marriage think tank.

Harry Benson of the Marriage Foundation says If the UK has any kind of family policy, it revolves around daycare and getting parents into work.

“Aside from regulatory changes, government almost entirely avoids distinguishing marriage, the family form most closely associated with couple stability and beneficial child outcomes”.

By contrast, in 2010, the Hungarian government implemented a series of financial incentives aimed at addressing a national fertility rate well below the EU average.

The consequence was that from 2010 the number of marriages in Hungary rose by 84% before lockdown in 2019 and 89% by 2020. Hungary was the only country in Europe to see an increase in new marriages during the first year of lockdown, rising 3% against the previous year.