The Mothers' Union has called for greater economic and social support for marriage and to encourage awareness that marriage is a beneficial lifestyle choice.

Speaking in response to the recent British Social Attitudes survey, which showed that the "average" adult no longer regards marriage as essential, Chief Executive, Reg Bailey said, "There's nothing 'average' about marriage, or making life-long commitment."

Mr Bailey said people who felt that marriage and cohabitation provide the same degree of stability for adult relationships, for children, and for society "are being seriously misled".

"The evidence shows that long-term cohabitation, especially where children are involved, simply doesn't provide the same stability, or for that matter, the same legal rights, as marriage," he said.

He said that, more than legal rights, Mothers' Union wanted to ensure that couples and families know that choosing marriage and commitment is "far more likely to provide them and their children with a healthier, more secure, financially stable relationship".

"We want to stand against media-encouraged expectations of marriage, which depict unrealistic fairytale hopes, and peddle a salacious focus on celebrity weddings and marriage breakdown," he said. "We want to help people 'get real' about how relationships need to be worked at, not given up on if a particular individual isn't 'ideal'."

Mr Bailey said that society needed "to foster a relationship culture that says to our children, the majority of whom fear parental separation more than anything else, that we, as community, are prepared to consider the implications of separation into the family and wider family, and to invest in a culture that values committed relationship".

Mothers' Union called for a societal shift towards promoting marriage in a positive, yet realistic light, and criticised the UK Government for financially discriminating against marriage.

The organisation is pressing for tax benefits that support marriage in order to "send a clear signal to the public that marriage is understood to provide benefit to society as a whole".

Government needs to fund initiatives which support relationships before breakdown, Mothers' Union said, adding its support for initiatives which nurture those who experience the trauma of separation and put forward policy solutions to other problems that put pressure on marriage such as debt.

Mothers' Union is stepping up its efforts to help couples see beyond the wedding day and seek a happy, nurturing, lifelong relationship where couples are prepared to be together "for better, for worse".

This year they will launch Loving for Life, a new training initiative for members and supporters to equip them to work alongside clergy in the provision of locally adaptable marriage preparation sessions.

To become more involved with Mothers' Union, and to find out more on our marriage policy, visit www.themothersunion.org