Divorce rates in England and Wales are among the highest in Europe. It's estimated that more than one in four children will experience parental divorce by age 16. Divorce has now become a fact of modern life ? but how damaging is it to our children?
In her new book, controversial American pro-marriage campaigner, Judith Wallerstein says the long term damage caused by divorce hasn't been recognized. She believes the effects can be most severe when those children reach adulthood. Wallerstein has been researching the effects of divorce since the 1970s. In 1971 she talked to a group of 131 children whose parents were divorcing. Now she has re-interviewed 93 of them to see how divorce had affected them in later life. She discusses her conclusions with Jenni and with Professor Janet Walker from the Centre for Family Studies at Newcastle University. The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce: A 25 Year Landmark Study, Fusion Press; ISBN: 1901250946, £10.99
