Sir, - Maeve-Ann Wren has identified several crucial issues facing our society today in her recent series of articles.
We in MRCS (Marriage and Relationship Counselling Services), have anecdotal evidence that the best quality time couples seem to find together is driving to work together in the car in the morning. It is ironic that at a time when we are asking people to work harder than ever, we are also requiring that they spend much more time on their relationships.
This is due to the fact that the move from the traditional marriage which was role-based (women stayed at home and minded the children whilst the men went out to work) has been gradually replaced by a fundamental change in women's roles, a consequent change in men's roles, and the need for both to dialogue and to negotiate more than ever to maintain stable satisfactory relationships.
These changes have many implications for a service such as MRCS whose mission is to make relationship counselling services available to all who need them, when they need them, regardless of their ability to pay or geographical location. Most obvious is the need to provide services at anti-social times, that is, in the evenings and at weekends, when working couples and individuals are free to attend.
At our recent AGM our figures for 1999 showed that of the 50 per cent who presented for separation, only 15 per cent went on to do so. This indicates that a clear and prompt response to people with relationship difficulties can make quite a difference.
The low priority afforded to services such as ours is in line with the national reality that those charged with care of the next generation, childminders, teachers etc., are bottom of the pile when it comes to resources and working conditions. Huge political will must be exerted to turn this reality on its head.
Debates triggered by articles such as those of Maeve-Ann Wren are timely and perhaps, with the general clear-out of old structures that have obviously failed us in many ways, the time for real corruption-free and relevant politics is at hand. - Yours, etc.,
Ruth Barror, Chief Executive, Marriage and Relationship Counselling Services, Grafton Street, Dublin 2.