The Demos researchers say children living with both biological parents are twice as likely to develop the most useful character traits as those living with lone parents or a step-parent. Application, self-regulation, and empathy are the three most important traits for a child's chances of improving their economic lot. Children of parents who promote these […]

Earlier studies have shown that "we-ness" versus "me-ness" is a strong indicator of how happy younger couples are. This new study out of the University of California (Berkley) shows how the pronoun/identity factor plays out over time as couples either team up or become polarized over disagreements. Researchers found that couples who use words such […]

The team of U.S. and Norwegian researchers studied 205 randomly selected couples from southern Norway for two years. The couples showed problems typical of struggling relationships. Half of the couples in the study used the client feedback system, while the other half did not. Couples using the client-based feedback reported feeling more satisfied in their […]

A new sex education guide, drafted by teachers, religious groups, health charities, parents and children, emphasizes the challenges and responsibilities of parenthood. It also highlights the importance of marriage and strong, stable relationships when raising children. The UK children's secretary, Ed Balls, states "We want to give young people the facts, so that they can […]

The reason politicians are not just entitled, but obliged, to take an interest in marriage is because of the compelling evidence that marriage makes a practical difference in society. The statistics are pretty overwhelming in showing that marriage acts as a check on family breakdown and that family breakdown boosts the likelihood of an array […]

According to a recent study, new parents' marital status is the number one predictor of whether or not they will stay together. It doesn't matter how rich or well educated they are, cohabiting parents are at least twice as likely to split up as married parents of similar income or education. The author of this […]

While no study has documented how frequent these clashes have become, therapists agree that the green issue can quickly become poisonous because it is so morally charged. Friends or family members who are not devoted to the environmental cause can become irritated by life choices they view as ostentatiously self-denying or politically correct. Those with […]

Creating and maintaining holiday traditions are far more important to children than most parents realize. Family traditions provide enjoyment that extends far beyond the moment for those who participate; family traditions help define a family. Read more.

The study looking at 3,500 British couples after the birth of their first child, found that as husbands helped with household tasks, shopping, and childcare there was a lower incidence of divorce. These findings may trump previous theories that increases in divorce rates which began in the early 1960s were due to increases in the […]

A couple's expectations for what married life is supposed to be like play a big role in how well and happily they will adjust. Research shows that couples who are happily married disagree as much as those who divorce. The difference is that happily married couples are the ones who recognize that disagreeing about money, […]