New figures released by the Office for National Statistics suggest that being married halves the risk of being the victim of domestic violence when compared to other family structures.
Around 3.8 million adults in England and Wales (approximately seven per cent) are believed to have experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025.
When looking at the family circumstances of abuse cases, married families accounted for the lowest percentage of abuse cases, with just 4.4 per cent of abuse victims being married.
Over a third (39 per cent) of all abuse cases involved people who were either separated or divorced, while 8.8 per cent involved people who were cohabiting. The data suggests that marriage, far from being a cover for abuse and oppression, is in fact the safest relationship a person could possibly enter into.
The dangers of abuse can be deadly, particularly for children. One study in Pediatrics suggested that children living with an unrelated adult were 50 times more likely to be killed than those living with both biological parents.
This was demonstrated most starkly during the Covid lockdowns when a number of children and babies were killed.
Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, Lola James, Star Hobson, Finley Boden, Jacob Crouch, Logan Mwangi, Harvey Borrington and Sebastian Kalinowski were all killed under cover of the lockdowns. In all but one case, a stepparent or partner was involved in the killing.
Dr Tony Rucinski, of the Coalition for Marriage, said the latest data bucks the popular narrative that marriage is oppressive.
"For years a ‘gendered narrative’ has heavily shaped the official debate on domestic violence, painting the traditional family as dangerous and ‘patriarchy’ as the root of abuse. That dogma is not just misleading, it is dangerous. The official figures tell a very different story, one that points back to real marriage," he said.
Other research has suggested that the presence of a father in the home provides a positive role model to boys. Without such a role model, boys are more likely to grow up and become men who commit domestic violence.
Dr Rucinski continued, “Good fathers are not decorative. They are one of the most powerful long‑term protections against violence we know about … Marriage between one man and one woman, lived out in faithfulness, quietly teaches sons how to be men and daughters what to expect from men."
He added, “The hard numbers are pushing back towards a very old truth. On average, the safest place for women is a stable marriage to a man who keeps his promises. The safest place for men and for children is the same.”
