Why Marriage Matters for Family and Child Well-Being (with Brad Wilcox)
With Katharine B. Stevens | Brad Wilcox
Center on Child and Family Policy
November 8, 2023
Katharine Stevens is joined by Brad Wilcox, a professor of sociology and director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, to discuss the role of marriage in family strength and well-being.
Professor Wilcox argues that children growing up with married parents are more likely to flourish because marriage provides stability, financial resources, and emotional support for parents, leading to better parenting outcomes. He describes the steep decline in marriage rates over the past century, and the growing marriage divide between higher and lower socioeconomic groups. Finally, he explains how current government policies disincentivize marriage for lower-income couples, and discusses how both government and civil society could better promote marriage.
Key Takeaways
Marriage provides stability, financial resources, and a sense of commitment that positively impact both adults and their children.
Marriage rates have fallen by about 65 percent since 1970; for the first time in US history, less than one in two adults are now married.
The “marriage divide” is growing as more affluent and educated people are now much more likely to be stably married than those from lower-income communities.
Government policies should eliminate existing marriage penalties and instead promote marriage by strengthening the financial foundations of family life for lower income working families.
About the Guest
Brad Wilcox is Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
His research has focused on marriage, fatherhood, and cohabitation, especially on the ways that family structure, civil society, and culture influence the quality and stability of family life in the United States and around the globe. He also focuses on exploring the contribution that families make to the economic welfare of individuals and societies.
Relevant Work
Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization
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FAMILIES AND PARENTING FEDERAL AND STATE POLICY
See Also
Report ~ June 14, 2023
Blog ~ June 19, 2019
Event ~ March 12, 2021