This brief explains the Healthy Marriage (HM) field that has its roots in marriage and relationship research and education in the 1950s and 1960s. The promotion of marriage and the reduction of out-of-wedlock childbearing as federal policy goals under the welfare reform legislation in 1996 is discussed, as well as the launch of the national […]
The United States federal government releases data on rates of marriage and divorce in most years, along with information on the percentage of children living with two parents and single parents. Stories based on these statistics often appear in the media. Many people, however, are confused by these data–how these numbers should be interpreted and […]
This research project was conducted as part of the evaluation for the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. In 1999 Governor Frank Keating announced the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, with the objective of reducing the divorce rate in Oklahoma by 1/3 by the year 2010. One aim of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative is to change the culture of support […]
Young adults today live in an American society where social norms include divorce, living together outside of marriage and having children out-of-wedlock. The U.S. divorce rate has decreased slightly and stabilized in recent years, yet divorce remains a significant social issue. Previous research has shown that the implications for children who experience the divorce of […]
This compilation includes audio recordings and materials for the first of three policy seminars that shares findings from federally funded Healthy Marriage and relationship programs. This 1 hour, 30 minutes seminar was held on May 16, 2008, in the U.S. House of Representatives, and focused on marriage, employment, and economic success. Speakers were divided into […]
This compilation includes audio recordings and materials for the third of three policy seminars that shares findings from federally funded Healthy Marriage and relationship programs. This 1 hour, 30 minutes seminar was held on September 19, 2008, and focused on promoting healthy marriages in culturally and racially diverse populations. Speakers were divided into two presentation […]
This federally funded brief discusses how the rise in the popularity of cohabiting is linked to other important shifts in family patterns in the United States, and provides information on the number of cohabiting couples with children, different types of cohabitation, and research findings on cohabitation. Evidence is cited that indicates cohabiting before marriage is […]
This Research Brief examines the training/preparation available to leaders of the faith community, with an emphasis on Christian clergy, formally trained through a seminary or other organized system. Most of the scholarly literature available exploring the preparation for and practice of marriage education/preparation among clergy is in the form of unpublished doctoral dissertations. (Author abstract)
To build a better understanding of the role that faith community liaisons (FCLs) play in the implementation of Charitable Choice within states and localities, the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in 2007 funded a study titled, “The Role of State Faith Community Liaisons […]
Economically disadvantaged children are more likely to grow up in unstable single-parent households and have much less access to the financial and emotional support of their noncustodial parent (typically the father). Family instability places children at risk for a number of negative outcomes and plays a large part in the growing disparities of income and […]