The Marriage Foundation is calling for more to be done to address a decline in the number of low-income couples who get married.

New research by the Christian charity shows a 51 per cent gap between wealthy and poorer couples when it comes to those who wed. Research Director Harry Benson says the disparity has been "completely overlooked and ignored in the discussion of the trend away from marriage."

He says the welfare system makes marriage less attractive to couples from low-income backgrounds because of what is described as a “couple penalty”. He claims it's the “biggest barrier to marriage among the poorest, a social justice problem whose existence is barely acknowledged by politicians.” And he's urging the Chancellor to refocus the existing marriage allowance on low-income married mothers with children under three.

The Marriage Foundation also wants the government to review tax and benefits policies that currently penalise couples who marry or live together, arguing that these policies discourage poorer couples from marrying.

Since 1972, marriage rates have dropped by 78 per cent among men and 73 per cent among women.

Among newborns in 2022, 71 per cent of parents in high earning families were married compared to 35 per cent in low earning families, leaving a marriage gap of 36 per cent. Among parents ‘not classified’, marriage rates were just 20 per cent, widening the marriage gap with the very poorest to 51 per cent.

The report placed the blame on successive governments for failing to support young couples who want to marry by considering the link between marriage and greater financial security, better child development outcomes, and reduced reliance on welfare support.

Harry Benson said “Marriage acts as a buffer to poverty, while children who grow up with both parents in the household, do better at school and generally have better mental health.”