This research brief discusses the growing disconnect between men and families that has been termed the “”male problematic””, factors that have conspired in the modern world to distance men from family life, and the role religion can play in integrating men into families and the lives of their wives and children. To explore how religious tradition and attendance are linked to marital quality and stability, nonmarital childbearing, and paternal involvement and affection, data is analyzed from three nationally representative surveys: the General Social Survey (GSS), the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), and the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Findings indicate religious attendance of wives and especially husbands is associated with happier and more stable marriages in the U.S., religious attendance is linked to markedly lower levels of nonmarital childbearing, and that religious fathers who reside with their children are more involved and affectionate than their more secular peers. 12 references.

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