Mal Fletcher comments on the need to look beyond short-term, quick fix solutions.

The Centre for Social Justice estimates that unmarried couples now account for 40 percent of births, 59 percent of relationship splits and 59 percent of the consequent costs.

In contrast, married couples account for 54 percent of births, 20 percent of splits and just 14 percent of costs.

These figures show that while marriage may be under threat as the default option for cohabiting couples, it still offers a substantially stronger union than any alternative arrangement. It also provides the type of stability that makes having children more attractive.

Thankfully, the rate of growth in the number of divorces has plateaued in recent times. For example, the ONS says that the incidence of divorce has grown by just 0.5 per cent in the past year.

Yet whilst only a fraction of enquirers on Black Monday will go through with a divorce, more and more people are inquiring about it each year.

Granted, some marriages will almost inevitably end in divorce. More than a few will do so in the wake of unfaithfulness on the part of one party or both; others because of domestic violence and other potentially life-controlling issues.

However, for the sake of the vast majority of marriages that can be saved, perhaps it is time for us to pull away from using tags like Black Monday and Divorce Day, which focus minds on the potential for divorce.

We might instead encourage folks to look beyond short-term, quick fix solutions - which are usually no solutions at all - and explore the opportunities for regenerating relationships.