Promoting Healthy Marriage

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Backgrounder posted July 29, 2011 by Thomas Messner Same-Sex Marriage and Threats to Religious Freedom: How Nondiscrimination Laws Factor In
Abstract: Proponents of religious freedom have firmly established that same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom in a number of ways. In response, some have argued that certain threats to religious freedom discussed in this context have more to do with nondiscrimination laws than with the…
Backgrounder posted June 7, 2011 by Chuck Donovan A Marshall Plan for Marriage: Rebuilding Our Shattered Homes
Abstract: Marriage and family are declining in America, following a trend well established in Europe. This breakdown of the American family has dire implications for American society and the U.S. economy. Halting and reversing the sustained trends of nearly four decades will not happen…
Lecture posted February 22, 2011 by W. Bradford Wilcox, Ph.D., Paul Taylor, Chuck Donovan When Marriage Disappears: The Retreat from Marriage in Middle America
Abstract: In high-rent urban neighborhoods and the prosperous suburbs of the nation’s major cities, divorce is down, marital satisfaction remains high, and non-marital childbearing is still an exotic activity. It is not upscale America but Middle America that is experiencing marital troubles: From small…
Audio Recorded on June 20, 2010 Robert Rector on the Unwed Birthrate: Heritage in Focus Special for Fathers' Day, June 20
Robert Rector discusses the correlation between poverty and the unwed birthrate. …
Commentary posted May 5, 2010 by Jennifer Marshall Unwed Birth Rate Signals the Collapse of Marriage
It's hard to imagine the unemployment rate rising steeply for decades without public outcry. But that's exactly what's happened in the case of another significant indicator: the unwed birth rate. Hardly anyone noticed this month when new data showed 40 percent of all births are to unmarried…
Commentary posted January 9, 2010 by Chuck Donovan Much Work Needed to Improve State of the American Family
With each new year comes a new State of the Union Address. Doubtless this year's address will focus on the economy. But as the president's speechwriters hunch over their keyboards to pound out drafts of this year's oration, they would do well to include some language about the state of…
Commentary posted December 16, 2009 by Jennifer Marshall How to Make Better News on Marriage
Tabloid headlines about one more public figure's troubled married life sound a sordid finale to yet another sad, hard year for marriage. High-profile marital strains naturally draw the media spotlight. The challenges of getting and staying happily married, however, know no boundaries of fame or fortune. Studies confirm what common sense…
Play Movie Video Recorded on January 15, 2009 Reducing Poverty by Revitalizing Marriage: Advice for Obama
Robert Rector, Senior Research Fellow for Welfare Policy at The Heritage Foundation, discusses how President-elect Obama can keep his pledge to reverse the decline of marriage in the United States, thereby reducing child poverty, welfare dependence,…
Report posted November 10, 2007 by Robert Rector, Christine Kim Fiscal Distribution Analysis of Single-Parent Families in the United States, FY2004
Abstract. A fiscal deficit occurs when the benefits and services received by one group exceeds the taxes paid. When such a deficit occurs, other groups must pay, through taxes, for the services and benefits of the group in deficit. A fiscal distribution analysis measures…
Lecture posted August 15, 2006 by Jennifer Marshall, Robert Lerman, Barbara Whitehead, Honorable Wade Horn, Robert Rector The Collapse of Marriage and the Rise of Welfare Dependence
(Delivered May 22, 2006) JENNIFER A. MARSHALL: This is the first in a series of events that will focus on the tenth anniversary of the welfare reform of 1996. One of the most important features of…

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Backgrounder posted July 29, 2011 by Thomas Messner Same-Sex Marriage and Threats to Religious Freedom: How Nondiscrimination Laws Factor In
Abstract: Proponents of religious freedom have firmly established that same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom in a number of ways. In response, some have argued that certain threats to religious freedom discussed in this context have more to do with nondiscrimination laws than with the…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted May 20, 2003 by Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson, Ph.D., Patrick Fagan, Ph.D., Lauren Noyes Increasing Marriage Would Dramatically Reduce Child Poverty
In 2001, 1.35 million children were born outside marriage. This represents 33.5 percent of all children born in the United States in that year. Children raised by never-married mothers are seven times more likely to be poor when compared to children raised in intact married families. The obvious nexus…
Backgrounder posted March 26, 2001 by Patrick Fagan, Ph.D. Estimulando El Matrimonio y Desalentando El Divorcio
Después de cuatro décadas de incremento en los fondos del gobierno para solucionar las consecuencias de familias destrozadas, un cambio en la actitud cultural con respecto al matrimonio es evidente en todo Estados Unidos. Autoridades elegidas, expertos sociólogos, líderes de comunidades, y políticos de todos los colores han llegado a admitir que matrimonios unidos -…
Backgrounder posted March 26, 2004 by Robert Rector, Melissa Pardue Understanding the President's Healthy Marriage Initiative
The erosion of marriage during the past four decades has had large-scale negative effects on both children and adults: It lies at the heart of many of the social problems with which the government currently grapples. The beneficial effects of marriage on individuals and society are beyond reasonable dispute, and there is a…
Backgrounder posted June 7, 2011 by Chuck Donovan A Marshall Plan for Marriage: Rebuilding Our Shattered Homes
Abstract: Marriage and family are declining in America, following a trend well established in Europe. This breakdown of the American family has dire implications for American society and the U.S. economy. Halting and reversing the sustained trends of nearly four decades will not happen…
Backgrounder posted March 26, 2001 by Patrick Fagan, Ph.D. Encouraging Marriage and Discouraging Divorce
After four decades of rising government spending to treat the effects of broken families, a cultural shift in attitudes toward marriage is evident across America. Elected officials, social scientists, community leaders, and policymakers across the ideological spectrum are admitting that strong marriages--not government intervention--are key to improving social and personal well-being. Increasingly, research is showing…
Lecture posted February 22, 2011 by W. Bradford Wilcox, Ph.D., Paul Taylor, Chuck Donovan When Marriage Disappears: The Retreat from Marriage in Middle America
Abstract: In high-rent urban neighborhoods and the prosperous suburbs of the nation’s major cities, divorce is down, marital satisfaction remains high, and non-marital childbearing is still an exotic activity. It is not upscale America but Middle America that is experiencing marital troubles: From small…
Lecture posted August 15, 2006 by Jennifer Marshall, Robert Lerman, Barbara Whitehead, Honorable Wade Horn, Robert Rector The Collapse of Marriage and the Rise of Welfare Dependence
(Delivered May 22, 2006) JENNIFER A. MARSHALL: This is the first in a series of events that will focus on the tenth anniversary of the welfare reform of 1996. One of the most important features of…
Backgrounder posted October 25, 2002 by Patrick Fagan, Ph.D., Robert Patterson, Robert Rector Marriage and Welfare Reform: The Overwhelming Evidence that Marriage Education Works
The erosion of marriage has created enormous difficulties for children, parents, and society. Today, one child in three is born out of wedlock. Compared to children born within marriage, children born outside of marriage are…
Lecture posted August 6, 1999 by Rick Santorum The Necessity of Truth
Ever since Alexis de Tocqueville, foreign observers have consistently noted that the United States is one of the most religious countries on the face of the planet. Year after year, Gallup polls reveal that nearly 90 percent of all Americans consider religion either "very important" or "fairly important"--and even those who don't regard…

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Backgrounder posted July 29, 2011 by Thomas Messner Same-Sex Marriage and Threats to Religious Freedom: How Nondiscrimination Laws Factor In
Abstract: Proponents of religious freedom have firmly established that same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom in a number of ways. In response, some have argued that certain threats to religious freedom discussed in this context have more to do with nondiscrimination laws than with the…
Backgrounder posted June 7, 2011 by Chuck Donovan A Marshall Plan for Marriage: Rebuilding Our Shattered Homes
Abstract: Marriage and family are declining in America, following a trend well established in Europe. This breakdown of the American family has dire implications for American society and the U.S. economy. Halting and reversing the sustained trends of nearly four decades will not happen…
Report posted November 10, 2007 by Robert Rector, Christine Kim Fiscal Distribution Analysis of Single-Parent Families in the United States, FY2004
Abstract. A fiscal deficit occurs when the benefits and services received by one group exceeds the taxes paid. When such a deficit occurs, other groups must pay, through taxes, for the services and benefits of the group in deficit. A fiscal distribution analysis measures…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted December 6, 2004 by Robert Rector, Kirk Johnson, Ph.D. Roles of Couples' Relationship Skills and Fathers' Employment in Encouraging Marriage
This paper examines the factors that are most likely to contribute to healthy marriages among low-income couples. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey, we analyzed couples who were unmarried at the time of their child's birth, but who subsequently married within the first year after that…
Backgrounder posted March 30, 2004 by Melissa Pardue, Robert Rector Reducing Domestic Violence: How the Healthy Marriage Initiative CanHelp
In the United States today, one child in three is born outside of marriage. The decline of marriage is a prominent cause of child poverty, welfare dependence, and many other social problems. In response to these concerns, President George W. Bush has proposed the Healthy Marriage Initiative to promote and…
Executive Summary posted March 30, 2004 by Melissa Pardue, Robert Rector Executive Summary: Reducing Domestic Violence: How the Healthy Marriage Initiative Can Help
In the United States today, one child in three is born outside marriage. The decline of marriage is a prominent cause of child poverty, welfare dependence, and many other social problems. In response to these concerns, President George W. Bush has proposed a Healthy Marriage Initiative to promote and encourage strong marriages. The…
News Releases on March 26, 2004 Senators, Experts to Speak Out for "Healthy Marriage Initiative"
WASHINGTON, MARCH 26, 2004 - As the Senate prepares to discuss a new welfare reform bill next week, supporters and experts on reform will highlight the benefits of a key provision of the bill - the president's Healthy Marriage Initiative - at a press conference on Wednesday, March 31, at 3:30 p.m., in the Mansfield…
Executive Summary posted March 26, 2004 by Robert Rector, Melissa Pardue Executive Summary: Understanding the President's Healthy Marriage Initiative
The erosion of marriage throughout the past four decades has had large-scale negative effects on both children and adults and lies at the heart of many social problems with which government currently grapples. The beneficial effects of marriage on individuals and society are beyond reasonable dispute, and there is a broad and growing…
Backgrounder posted March 26, 2004 by Robert Rector, Melissa Pardue Understanding the President's Healthy Marriage Initiative
The erosion of marriage during the past four decades has had large-scale negative effects on both children and adults: It lies at the heart of many of the social problems with which the government currently grapples. The beneficial effects of marriage on individuals and society are beyond reasonable dispute, and there is a…
News Releases on February 26, 2004 Senators Join Heritage Event to Promote "Healthy Marriages"
WASHINGTON, FEB. 25, 2004-With welfare reauthorization two years overdue, the Senate represents the last hurdle for President Bush's plan to promote "Healthy Marriages." The Heritage Foundation today announced it would hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3, that will draw together a wide array of supporters, including Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Penn., Sen.…

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