International Day of Families - 15th May 2015

Friday 15th May 2015 will mark the International Day of Families which was inaugurated in 1993 by the UN to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

Each year on 15th May, organisations across the world mark the International Day of Families in recognition of the importance of families and ‘to celebrate connections among all members of the constellation that makes up a family’ (Ban Ki Moon, UN Secretary-General).

This year the theme is ‘Men in Charge? Gender Equality and Children’s Rights in Contemporary Families’. The United Nations have collected together statistics relating to inequality towards women showing that in many countries they do not yet have equal property rights or a right to inherit property and are subject to enforced marriage and violence on a huge scale, particularly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the UK the Office for National Statistics has produced statistics showing the composition of families in the UK to mark the International Day of Families. These show that the number of married couple families with dependent children has fallen between 1996 and 2014 whereas the fastest growing family type over the period has been the cohabiting couple. During the same period lone parent families increased from 14.8% in 1996 to 16.2% in 2014 with women accounting for 91.4% of lone parents with dependent children and men just the remaining 8.6%. 

Visit our Family Law page for more information on how our specialists can guide you through tough family issues in a calm and professional manner.