A quarter of British children are growing up in “loveless” households where parents are unhappy with their relationships, official figures have established for the first time.
The parents of more than 2 million children described themselves as unhappy with their partners amid growing concerns about the impact of family breakdown on children.
Little more than half of British children still live with both their parents by the time they are 15, a figure is significantly worse for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
However, the figures from the Department for Work and Pensions also reveal that 250,000 more children were living with both parents in 2012 compared to 2011.
Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “We know that family breakdown – or a damaged parental relationship – can have a devastating impact on children’s prospects as they grow up.
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