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“Since the 1960s, many countries have experienced significant increases in levels of family breakdown. New Zealand has not escaped this trend: using all of the standard indicators, the family is now in a worse state than almost anywhere else.

In Family Matters, Patricia Morgan attributes the rise in family breakdown in New Zealand in large part to changed incentives arising from changes in such areas as welfare policies, taxation and family law, as well as changes in social attitudes, particularly those influenced by some versions of feminism.

Morgan cites a large body of research that finds that the traditional family – the married couple and their dependent children living together in their own home – is generally best for children, parents and society.

In this thorough and thought-provoking study, Patricia Morgan documents family policy changes and their impact on the institution of the family in New Zealand, and calls for greater support for public policies which signal that family stability is important for children and society as a whole.”