REAL Women of Canada supports the view that permanent marriage -- traditional values in a contemporary society -- is possible, desirable and urgently needed in Canada today.

      We recognize that marriage, viewed within this context, presents a most serious and often difficult challenge -- resulting, however, in one of lifeís most deeply gratifying personal and growth experiences.  Thus it requires proper preparation beforehand and often continued support afterward.

      Today permanence and commitment in marriage are seen as fading values in a changing world where the rising divorce rate is cited as the death knell of the institution of marriage.  However, there is a vast pool of existing marriages which number close to six million in Canada that remain intact.  For instance, comparing the number of divorces (61,980) in 1985 to the total number of marriages existing in Canada, it becomes apparent that only a little over one percent of all marriages in 1985 actually ended in divorce.

      REAL Women of Canada chooses to affirm, encourage and support, wherever possible, ways of maintaining permanency and commitment in marriage.  Easily available divorce with its traumatic consequences to spouses (especially to women) and to their children, to the extended family and ultimately to society as a whole is destructive to family life.

      The stability of a nation is often determined by the stability of its marriages -- a truism that warrants our deepest concern in Canada today.  REAL Women of Canada thereby wishes to promote and preserve permanency and commitment in marriage as essential values for the preservation of stable family life in Canada -- now and for future generations.