OTTAWA – Today in the House of Commons, MP Maurice Vellacott commented on the myth surrounding divorce rates:
There is a myth out there that the divorce rate is close to 50%. Shaunti Feldhahn found some startling and encouraging things in the research for her new book, The Good News About Marriage.
The divorce rate for first marriages is actually around 30%. Christians have between a 30 and 50% lower divorce rate than the general population. These are American figures; we Canucks can likely shave a few points off of that.
If people were to realize these facts and that most marriages do make it, they would be less skittish about tying the knot. When troubles come, they can say, “most people have challenges in a marriage, but most people get over and get through those problems, and we will too.”
As the Institute for Marriage and Family Canada pointed out in a recent study, married couples tend to live longer, they tend to be wealthier, they tend to have a much easier time getting out of poverty, their kids do better in school and are less likely to take drugs and alcohol, and they are more likely to delay sexual activity. Of course, they are also happier.
There is good news out there about marriage, and we need to spread the word. The vast majority of marriages happily thrive. Marriage is still a wonderful thing.
For further information and comment, email: maurice.vellacott.a1@parl.gc.ca
