Jimmy Smith from Dad Talk Today has stressed the importance of the nuclear family as it shows signs of decline.
The Independent Family Review by England’s Children’s Commissioner found in 2022 that nearly half of UK children now grow up outside a traditional nuclear family.
Speaking on GB News, Smith spoke about ensuring “we have successful marriages” in order to develop a prosperous younger generation.
He told Emma Webb that our grandparents “had great duty”, hinting that is something that is increasingly being lost.
“A lot of times we focus on the happiness of marriage”, he said.
“When one person is not happy, they’re out of the door. Today’s laws kind of favour women to be leaving marriages.
Jimmy Smith joined Emma Webb at the Arc conference
GB NEWS
“I’m not saying anything bad about women, of course, I’m saying the marriage in today’s life and the way the court systems are, it almost incentivises one of two parties to break the contract.
“We need to get back to the duty. Our grandparents weren’t always happy. They weren’t always jumping off the couch having a great time.”
Smith added that men need a father influence in the household as society “needs” strong men.
He argued that having the influence teaches young men the importance of “being masculine”.
“I believe it was Warren Farrell who said that men, kids, need their father’s time, not their dime.
“I thought that was. Pretty powerful because kids are very perceptive, they’re always watching.
“Really working on making sure that men and women are getting along and giving each other what it is that the other person needs is important, and then we can keep those nuclear families together.
“That is the best thing we can do for young boys.”
The research suggests families have “changed significantly in recent decades” and co-habitation has become more common as an alternative to marriage.
More mothers are in work than ever and family composition “varies significantly according to region and ethnic background”.