Money can be the number one source of frustration in relationships. These frustrations ring true for couples regardless of the length of their courtship or the number of years they have been married. This Tip Sheet offers tips to help couples handle the financial strain that often accompanies a long-term relationship. (Author abstract)
We use data from pooled 2000 to 2004 current population surveys (CPSs) to examine generational differences in cohabitation and marriage among men and women ages 20-34 in the US. Consistent with our expectation and in line with assimilation theory, levels of cohabitation rise across succeeding generations. In contrast, generational differences in marriage follow a curvilinear […]
This tip sheet offers practical tips to help practitioners meet the needs of couples who are living together. These couples do not always want a long-term future together, so traditional marriage education may not be the best match for these couples. Although many relationship issues are the same, couples who are living together and who […]
This guide provides practice tips for developing and delivering a marriage and relationship education program and for child welfare and low-income populations. The guidelines address: using inclusive lifestyles and language; ensuring culturally competent programs and trainers; understanding different cultures, including the culture of poverty, and gaining the skills needed to effectively work with people who […]
From Dr. Jeffry Larson– the author of the best-selling Should We Stay Together?— comes a must-have book for couples in a long-term relationship. All serious couples reach a point where they feel frustrated, stuck, bored, disillusioned, and misunderstood. But now, drawing on over fifty years of research in marital and family relationships, Dr. Larson provides […]
Faith community liaisons–official contacts at the state or local level between government and faith-based and community organizations (FBCOs)–have been established in at least 36 states and in many localities as of 2008. Their work typically entails facilitating partnerships with and within the FBCO community, encouraging the organizational capacity of FBCOs, and educating both faith-based organizations […]
The high proportion of children born outside marriage — 37 percent in 2005 — has raised concern among policymakers about the quality and stability of unmarried parents’ relationships. In response, the federal government’s Healthy Marriage Initiative provides funding to programs aimed at strengthening the bonds between unmarried parents through activities such as relationship counseling and […]
This report provides a conceptual framework that describes how asset accumulation unfolds over an individual’s lifetime and how the effects of such accumulation can best be understood within the context of the life course. The report identifies five factors that are important in understanding the low levels of asset accumulation among low-income households and places […]
In 2004, the official U.S. poverty rate for families reached its highest level (12.3 percent) since 1993. Moreover, poverty rates varied substantially across different family structures. Families headed by single females, for example, experienced poverty rates nearly six times as great as families headed by married couples. While the poverty rate is a useful tool […]
Although recently married couples report debt as one of their top concerns, research has not measured how debt changes relate to changes in their marital satisfaction. Further, the mechanisms that link debt and marital satisfaction are unknown. Findings using the National Survey of Families and Households ( N= 1,078 couples) demonstrated that consumer debt changes […]