By Rod Benson
The fact that the Prime Minister is in a de facto relationship has not gone unnoticed. And it seems as though every second person has an opinion on what was until last week a private matter.
One of the most outspoken has been Bettina Arndt, the cultural conservative’s Germaine Greer, who noted that the proportion of adults in de facto relationships more than doubled between 1986 and 2006, and that more than one in eight Australian children are now born to de facto couples. She says it’s often wrongly assumed that, in the absence of a marriage contract, children will keep the couple together.
Celebrities are “dragging children through a succession of chaotic ‘blended’ families.” And women who have a series of live-in relationships often find themselves childless and partnerless as they hit 40. Which is why a traditional commitment to marriage and family is so relevant today, for parents and children alike.
Broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 4 July 2010.
Image: http://www.govstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Family-Law-Marriage.jpg
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