Marriage is on the decline, and a growing proportion of children are born to unmarried parents, many of them in unstable cohabiting unions. Research increasingly shows that family instability affects children’s cognitive and social-emotional development in ways that constrain their life chances. With an eye on these trends, the Future of Children first examined marriage […]
This fact sheet provides descriptive characteristics of Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education programs serving youth, characteristics of those served, and the most commonly used curricula, program goals, and expected outcomes. Project Website The purpose of the Youth Education and Relationship Services Project, awarded to Child Trends, is to better understand the services that federally-funded Healthy […]
The Blue Star Families Military Family Lifestyle Survey takes a comprehensive look at the current needs and priorities of military families and service members and identifies the key aspects of military life to effectively target resources, services, and programs that support the sustainability of the All-Volunteer Force. Military families are much like their civilian […]
Research Development Project on Human Service Needs of LGBT Populations, 2012-2015 | Learn more about this project This report discusses what is known about low-income and at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their interactions with human services, especially services funded by ACF, and identifies important areas for further research. To provide […]
Research Development Project on Human Service Needs of LGBT Populations, 2012-2015 | Learn more about this project This brief summarizes findings from the project Research Development Project on the Human Services of LGBT Populations. The brief discusses what is known about low-income and at-risk lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their […]
The context of marriage in the United States involves not only whether and when Americans choose to marry, but also how many times they marry. The majority of recent marriages are first marriages for both spouses. However, divorce rates are higher in the United States compared with European nations,1 and remarried adults have a higher […]
The National Research Center on Hispanic Children & Families has released an extensive guide for federally and non-federally funded Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education and Responsible Fatherhood programs serving Hispanic couples and fathers. This guide summarizes the various aspects of these programs and facilitates their comparison. Among other findings, the guide reports that many fatherhood […]
This brief provides a general overview of the two Healthy Marriage (HM) grantees involved in the Parents and Children Together Evaluation (PACT), provides participation rates in services, and documents how the two grantees integrated job and career advancement services for parenting couples into their programs. This brief uses data obtained through staff interviews and program […]
This brief reviews current literature regarding same-sex couples and LGB individuals to better understand their needs, strengths, and challenges; how they differ from and are similar to heterosexual couples; existing efforts to provide same-sex focused relationship education; and suggestions for expanding and providing culturally competent same-sex relationship and marriage education. As such, this brief intends […]
Why Do We Track Divorce Rates? Statistics on marriage and divorce are of great interest to federal, state, and local public officials, researchers, and members of the general public. Stories based on these statistics—for example, reporting on whether divorce rates are rising or falling—often appear in the media and are considered key indicators of family […]