Family and marriage in Britain

This book was written almost exactly ten years ago. It was revised during 1965, but, even then, the firm statistics available referred only to the early 1960s. Clearly, much has happened since then, and it is necessary, now, to take into account many changes in the law, certain statistical ten dencies, and the findings new research. Retaining the historical perspective originally laid down, this consideration of the most recent facts can round off our judgement of a decade, and provide an up-to-date picture.

At the same time, the seventies open with a rapid fire of new criticisms of the family quite different from, and much more radical than any that have gone before and these create difficulties. Despite all the critics say, however (and, for the present, whatever the truth or falsity of their points), marriage and the family in our society continue to enjoy a tremendous popularity; benefiting from the cul mination of reforms set firmly afoot during the nineteen thirties and even earlier: improvements in the law, in the social services, and in material and social conditions.

This preface is to mention the more important of these factors; to make clear the kinds of revision to which they have led; and to explain why I have decided to write an altogether new (companion) book in an attempt to do full justice to the new criticisms. To try to do this within the present book would be to change it unduly; to obscure unnecessarily the clear argument it tries to present; and there are good reasons why this seems not the best thing to do.