This is a body of research on families that are enduring, cohesive, affectionate, and mutually-appreciative, and in which family members communicate with one another frequently and fruitfully. They are families that raise children who go on to form successful families themselves. They are not necessarily families that are trouble-free. Some have experienced health problems, financial […]
This article examines whether “”marriage formation”” policy is an effective singular public policy for reducing welfare and poverty and improving child well-being in the absence of other policy reforms. The article proposes two theses regarding marriage formation policy in the United States: 1. There is no valid and reliable evidence which has determined marriage is […]
Policymakers at the state and federal levels are showing increased interest in programs designed to encourage family formation among unmarried parents through interventions like marriage education, relationship skills, co-parenting, and responsible fatherhood programs. Interest in unmarried parents is based on a concern that children in single-parent households do not fare as well as children raised […]
This paper highlights the benefits of using the American Community Survey (ACS) including the ability to analyze data at the state and national levels, as well as explore the relationship between socio-economic characteristics and changing family structure. The following family structure variables are explored in the paper: estimated median age at first marriage, married and […]
Healthy Relationships and Marriage Among Fragile Families in Baltimore City: A Synopsis of Conversations and Findings documents the changes in family formation, welfare policy and most importantly community insight on the issue of healthy relationships and marriage among fragile families. (Author abstract).
For most of the nation’s history, Americans expected to devote much of their adult life and work to the rearing of children. Today, life without children is emerging as a social reality for a growing number of American adults. Due to delay of marriage, postponed childbearing, increases in childlessness and longer life expectancy, Americans are […]
The steps in this guide will help organizations in their efforts to build a Community Healthy Marriage Initiative(CHMI) in their community and help develop the potential for receiving government resources. (Author abstract, modified).
An information brief from the National Marriage Project’s ‘Ten Things to Know’ series that lists the top myths regarding marriage.
State and local governments and community organizations are increasingly interested in developing and implementing programs to support healthy marriage and strong families. Through the Building Strong Families (BSF) project, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., and its partners are developing a model for programs that would serve low-income, unmarried parents who are expecting or have just had […]
In 1994, Minnesota began testing a major welfare reform initiative that emphasized financial incentives for work, a participation requirement for long-term recipients, and the simplification of rules and procedures for receiving public assistance. MDRC conducted an in-depth evaluation of the Minnesota Family Investment Program’s effectiveness and impact on various populations served. One of the striking […]