New figures released by Catholic pro-marriage group the Iona Institute this week suggests there are now more than 450,000 Irish children being raised outside of marriage. The figures also reveal that there are almost 250,000 divorced or separated people in the country.
The Iona Institute has used the statistics to further emphasise their pro-marriage stance. Professor Patricia Casey, patron of the Institute, argues “marriage connects children to their fathers more reliably than anything else we know. As marriage weakens in Ireland, therefore, so does the connection between father and child.”
Solicitor Deirdre Burke spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning for a different perspective on the report:
Deirdre discussed the major changes in Ireland in recent times. “I think it has emerged over the last two decades where we’ve now come to a situation where approximately one in four children are living in single-parent families…” she explained, “and that would be single-parent families broken down into various structures. It could be a divorced couple, a separated couple, a bereavement… but equally a huge growth in the numbers of people who are choosing not to marry at all”.
Deirdre also explained how legal rights work in unmarried families. Currently, in unmarried families, the mother is sole legal guardian of the children, and a father needs either the agreement of the mother or a court order to gain equal guardianship.
Deirdre says the former option is a much easier process in many circumstances, and she tends to recommend it wherever possible. However, she feels there needs to be legislative changes to recognise the new reality in the country: “In my own view, and from the point of view of studies that have been done, children fare better when they are brought up in a joint-parentage arrangement - [whether] that’s in two homes or one, children still fare better. There has to be a balance brought back with regard to fathers' rights so they have an equal starting point with regards to their children.”
Lunchtime will be further discussing the subject this afternoon, and we want to hear your views. Do you think society discriminates against unmarried parents? Is there a need to implement equal guardianship? What legislative changes, if any, do you think are necessary? Vote in our poll and leave your comments below.
