THIS IS WHAT A PRO-MARRIAGE POLICY REVOLUTION LOOKS LIKE

Lessons from Hungary Katalin Novàk, Hungarian Minister of State for the Family, Youth and International Affairs spoke earlier this year about her nation’s policies to support married families and the raising of children. Hungary encourages couples to marry through shared family tax allowances and benefits as well as holiday camps for children, reduced mortgage bills for married couples with three or more children and student debt relief for university educated women who marry and start families. The results have been remarkable. Since 2010, Hungary can boast: An increase in the number of live births; A rise in the national fertility rate; A fall in the number of abortions each year by almost a third; A rapid rise in the number of marriages; A fall in the number of divorces; More women in employment. The full text of the Minister’s speech is available here. For decades now it seems that our political classes worry only about managing the decline of the traditional family unit. However these results from Hungary show that it is possible for the state to support the family, not subvert it. How refreshing it would be were any mainstream British party to pay serious attention to the example of Hungary and countries like it.

DONATE Yours sincerely, Thomas Pascoe Campaign Director Coalition for Marriage (C4M)