New data released from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA)
survey suggests that there is a growing gulf in terms of men and women’s attitudes towards
commitment when it comes to marriage and the involvement of both parents in child-rearing.
Changes in attitudes towards marriage also suggest that over time, a marital commitment will
become more and more provisional and conditional. That could have significant adverse effects
on the mental health and wellbeing of children.
The HILDA survey, based on a very large and representative sample of Australians, tracks a range
of societal changes over time. Every three or four years, participants have been asked a range of
questions about their attitudes towards marriage and parenting. That allows for changes in attitudes to be tracked over time.
On a range of questions, women’s responses over the last 20 years have indicated less traditional ideas about marriage than men’s. Women also place less significance on the importance of both a mother and a father in children’s lives. The latest data indicates that the gap between men’s and women’s values has widened substantially over time.
