Broken Britain: Half of all parents split up before their children reach the age of 16

By Tim Shipman
Last updated at 1:49 AM on 7th December 2010

Patron: Iain Duncan Smith set up the Centre for Social Justice which helped with the report

Half of all children born today will see their parents split up before the age of 16, according to a shocking study of Broken Britain.

The collapse of cohabiting relationships, rather than divorce, is to blame for the rise in family breakdown, says the research.

It calls for the government to 'reassert marriage' and help strengthen the relationships of unmarried new parents.

The number of children who will face family breakdown has soared from 40 per cent to 48 per cent over the last decade, according to analysis of official figures.

The report undermines the claims of politically correct campaigners - endorsed by the last Labour government - who have said there is no difference between marriage and cohabiting and that it was not for government to interfere with people's choice of how they arranged their lives.

The report, carried out jointly by the Centre for Social Justice think tank and the Bristol Community Family Trust, found that family breakdown costs taxpayers £20billion every year.

While more than half of children are born to married parents, divorce accounts for just one in five family break-ups for the under fives - and just 14 per cent of the costs.

The collapse of cohabiting relationships costs taxpayers four times as much.

The report says: 'Of every £7 spent on family breakdown among young families (by the taxpayer), £1 is spent on divorce, £4 is spent on unmarried dual registered parents who separate and £2 is spent on sole registered parents.