Norway pushes date nights to cut divorce

The secret to a long-lasting marriage is not humour, patience, shared interests or an equal division of household chores. It's government intervention.

That, at least, is the hope of Norway's ruling Populist party, which is promoting date nights as a cure for flagging marriages in an attempt to reduce the country's divorce rate.

The new minister for children, equality and social inclusion, Solveig Horne, said the government needed to cut divorce rates - and that encouraging couples to try date nights was a good place to start: "It is important to find small pockets of time where parents can be lovers," she said.

Divorce rates are at 40 per cent in Norway, with those aged 40 to 44 most likely to split from their partners.

Since taking up her post this month, Horne has announced her intention to campaign for increased funding for family counselling to help prevent divorces.

"With state-run counselling offices, couples can learn more about how to be together before they have problems and talk things through when problems do arise," she said.