ACF Healthy Marriage Initiative 2002-2009: A Guide
Healthy marriage policy and programs are the “new kid on the block” in social policy. In the mid-90s several states and communities began to engage in marriage-related reforms and services designed to strengthen marriage and reduce divorce rates. In 2002, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) launched a Healthy Marriage Initiative and began funding […]
Military Service and Marriage: A Review of Research
Why is it important to understand the challenges to a healthy marriage that people in the military face? Some compelling reasons come readily to mind. First of all, married military personnel represent a sizable population, and that, in itself, merits attention. Nearly one-half of the nation's military personnel are married, amounting to almost 700,000 individuals. […]
Case Study: Coalition Building
Community healthy marriage initiatives have developed throughout the past decade with different goals and objectives.1 Most are spearheaded by a community- or faith-based leader who brings likeminded people together with the common goal of strengthening marriage in their community. This Case Study examines a statewide approach to delivering healthy marriage and relationship education (MRE) through […]
Marketing and Outreach in Hispanic Communities (HARP)
This Case Study examines successful approaches to conducting marketing and outreach for healthy relationship and marriage education (MRE) services for Hispanic communities. The Hispanic Active Relationship Project (HARP) in Cameron County, Texas, has developed unique marketing, outreach and recruitment strategies to engage Hispanic communities and encourage participation in marriage and relationship education services.
Domestic Violence and Pregnancy
Marriage/relationship education (MRE) programs are uniquely positioned to identify risk for abuse and to promote healthy and safe relationships. Domestic violence (DV) or intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive and costly problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 4.8 million episodes of IPV occur every year in the United States […]
Living Arrangements of Children in the United States Over Time
The percentage of children under the age of 18 who live with two parents decreased steadily for several decades (from approximately 85% in 1970 to approximately 68% by the mid-1990s1). Beginning in the mid-1990s, this decrease leveled off and the proportion of U.S. children who live with two married parents has since remained at approximately […]
Marriage Trends and Relationship Issues Among US Immigrants: A Fact Sheet
For many years, immigrants have come to the United States for economic opportunities, religious and political freedom, and to make better lives for themselves and their families. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division reported that the United States has the largest number of international migrants of any country in the […]
Marriage Trends in Eastern Culture: A Fact Sheet
The following Fact Sheet highlights statistics on marriage, divorce and non-marital childbearing in Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea (a.k.a., South Korea) — a collection of countries representing some of the breadth of Asia. There are six major Asian groups and they include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Asian Indian, and Cambodian/Hmong/Laotian. There are […]
Military Women and Marriage
Similar to many civilian professions, the number of women in the United States Armed Services has increased substantially over the past 30 years. However, the Armed Services continue to be a male-dominated environment. Approximately 14.3% of the active duty component and 17.8% of all service members are female. At most recent count, there are 203,375 […]