Brookings: Topics - Marriage and Family Formation

Mama Says: A National Survey of Mothers’ Attitudes on Fathering

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

December 01, 2009, 9:00 AM to 10:45 AM

On December 1, the National Fatherhood Initiative will release “Mama Says: A National Survey of Mothers’ Attitudes on Fathering” at an event sponsored by the Center on Children and Families at Brookings. The report shows that mothers say stable, well-functioning marriages are extremely important to good fathering, yet over half of mothers say fathers are replaceable by single mothers and nearly two-thirds of mothers say that fathers are replaceable by other men.

Encouraging Marriage Helps Everyone

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Can marriage decrease poverty? Higher marriage rates among the poor would benefit poor adults themselves, their children and the nation, says Ron Haskins. He argues that non-coercive programs that are delivered by community-based agencies can be effective. By helping couples who want to marry, the payoff to them, their children and society is potentially enormous.

The Sequence of Personal Responsibility

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Ron Haskins discusses personal responsibility and the three areas of personal decision-making in which the nation’s youth and young adults most need to learn and practice personal responsibility: education, sexual behavior and marriage, and work.

A Cautionary Tale about the Use of Administrative Data: Evidence from Age of Marriage Laws

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Rebecca Blank, Kerwin Charles and James Sallee demonstrate that administrative data may be inferior to survey data under particular circumstances by examining the effect of state laws governing the minimum age of marriage in the United States.

Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

March 13, 2009, 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM

In a recent New York Times op-ed, Brookings scholar Jonathan Rauch and co-author David Blankenhorn argue that linking federal civil unions to guarantees of religious freedom is a way to head off a long-term, scorched-earth debate over gay marriage and religious liberty. On March 13, Rauch and Blankenhorn discussed their proposal at a forum moderated by Brookings Senior Fellow William Galston.

Arriving at a Compromise on Gay Marriage

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings expert Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn of the Institute of American Values joined Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation to discuss a federal compromise on the issue of same-sex marriage.

A Reconciliation on Gay Marriage

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In their New York Times opinion, Brookings expert Jonathan Rauch and David Blankenhorn of the Institute of American Values offer a federal compromise on the debatable issue of same-sex marriage.

Light at the End of the Tunnel in Egypt's Marriage Crisis?

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Navtej Dhillon and Ragui Assaad share findings from new research by the Middle East Youth Initiative indicating that a series of reforms in Egypt has given young people easier access to rental housing. With housing more affordable so, too, is marriage, giving hope to numerous young people in the region who have delayed married life due to financial constraints.

Reproductive Freedom and the Next President

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Prior presidential election campaigns once focused on abortion as the primary element of "reproductive freedom." However, during the 2008 presidential election, candidates now find themselves addressing a broader array of arguably related issues, including the use of human embryos for stem-cell research and whether such research should receive federal funding, writes Eli Y. Adashi and Darrell M. West. Judging by Senator Barack Obama's and John McCain's voting records and positions articulated on the Senate floor, the primaries trail, and their campaign Web sites, the 2008 presidential candidates differ substantially in their views on "reproductive freedom."

Campaigns For and Against Same-Sex Marriage

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Same sex couples are missing from the advertising wars over Proposition 8, the constitutional ballot initiative on whether to retain or reject same-sex marriage in California. As Brookings scholar Jonathan Rauch, the absence of same sex couples from California's same-sex marriage debate makes for an oddly hollow discussion.

Stalled Youth Transitions in the Middle East

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The confluence of economic growth in the Middle East and millions of youth ready to hit the job market could be a recipe for prosperity. However, young people are encountering numerous obstacles. Navtej Dhillon, Director of the Middle East Youth Initiative, and Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, Visiting Fellow at the Wolfensohn Center for Development, argue that the root cause of youth exclusion lies in the institutions that mediate transitions from school to work and family formation.

Healthy Marriage in Culturally and Racially Diverse Populations

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

September 19, 2008, 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM

Since 2002, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families has provided substantial funding for healthy marriage and relationship programs, which are increasingly reaching out to serve African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, refugees and immigrants from many different cultures. On September 19, the Brookings Institution and the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center will host a discussion to focus on what is being learned about how these programs need to be designed, and curricula adapted, to be relevant to ethnically, racially and culturally diverse populations.

The 'Union for the Mediterranean:' The Next Generation of Europe-Middle East Cooperation?

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Navtej Dhillon and Diana Greenwald argue that, despite a difficult political climate, the 'Union for the Mediterranean' can exceed expectations by convening European and Arab leaders around a pressing and shared interest: the need to improve economic outcomes for millions of young people in the broader Middle East.

Reducing Unplanned Pregnancies through Medicaid Family Planning Services

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In this paper, Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine analyze the impact of state policies that expanded eligibility for Medicaid family planning services to women who do not meet regular Medicaid eligibility criteria. The results of their research show that the expanded eligibility policies had a significant impact on reducing unplanned births.

Promoting Safety Together: Domestic Violence and Healthy Marriage Programs

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

July 18, 2008, 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM

On July 18th, the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center and the Center on Children and Families hosted panels discussing effective models for creating bridges between domestic violence and healthy marriage and relationship programs, as well as emerging curricula and approaches to helping individual women and men avoid abusive relationships.

The Middle Eastern Marriage Crisis

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Middle East Youth Initiative collaborates with NOW on PBS on a documentary about youth employment in Jordan. In a special online supplement, NOW interviews Navtej Dhillon, Brookings fellow and director of the Middle East Youth Initiative, on the challenges facing youth across the Middle East—including unemployment and delayed marriage—and the role of the international community in contributing to reform and development in the region.

Gay Marriage Is Good for America

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Rauch argues the importance of same sex marriages in America. He writes that marriage stabilizes communities by formalizing responsibilities and creating kin networks, thereby cementing the foundation of civilization.

State of Civil Unions: California Court Strikes Down Marriage Ban

Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage, and ruled that civil unions are not a legally adequate substitution for marriage. Are then civil union supporters the legal equivalent of segregationists? The California court thinks so, writes Benjamin Wittes.

Healthy Marriage, Strong Families and Child Wellbeing

Fri, 16 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

May 16, 2008, 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM

The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center and the Center on Children and Families at Brookings Institution are cosponsoring a series of three seminars to share the lessons learned to date from research and the experience of over 300 healthy marriage and relationship programs located across the USA serving diverse populations. In this seminar on May 16, researchers, program administrators and program participants focused on key lessons learned about the economic factors that affect couples' lives.

The Search for the Next Soccer Mom: Trends to Watch in 2008

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The evolution of American politics is bound up with demographic and geographic change. So what are the trends to watch in 2008? A number of them are examined by Visiting Fellow Ruy Teixeira and AEI's Karlyn Bowman.

The Odyssey Years: The Changing 20s

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

In 1960, roughly 70 percent of 30-year-olds were married, financially independent and starting a family. By 2000, fewer than 40 percent of 30-year-olds had done the same. William Galston discusses the trend and implications.

Youth Exclusion in Iran: The State of Education, Employment and Family Formation

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Iran’s large youth population has led to overcrowding in schools, gender imbalance in the marriage market and increased pressure on the nation’s rigid formal labor market. By focusing on three crucial transitions, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani and Daniel Egel analyze the challenges facing youth in Iran and opportunities for the country to tap into its demographic dividend.

Fighting Poverty through Incentives and Work Mandates for Young Men

Sat, 01 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Wage subsidies and work requirements hold the promise of alleviating many social problems, especially poverty. Brookings’s Ron Haskins writes about counteracting the negative behaviors of adolescent boys and young men in a new brief.

Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Early Childbearing

Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Melissa S. Kearney and Phillip B. Levine take an analysis of the relationship between rates of socioeconomic disadvantage among women at birth and their subsequent rates of early childbearing.

Ending Poverty in America: Using Carrots and Sticks

Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Ron Haskins and Isabel V. Sawhill (May 2007)

Solutions to Poverty

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony by Isabel V. Sawhill (April 26, 2007)

Subsidized Contraception, Fertility, and Sexual Behavior

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Melissa S. Kearney and Phillip B. Levine examine the impact of state-level Medicaid policy changes that expanded eligibility for family planning services to higher income women and to Medicaid clients whose benefits would expire otherwise.

The Wedding Shortage

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Marriage, long the centerpiece of Middle Eastern life, is in crisis. The reason: a new generation of young men cannot afford to marry--a fact that's destined to exacerbate many of the region's social and political problems.

'Death Tax' Repeal Unfair to Those Who Owe 'Birth Tax'

Wed, 31 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Diane Lim Rogers, San Francisco Chronicle (5/31/06)

Trends in Family Composition

Wed, 03 May 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Testimony of Ron Haskins House Committee on Appropriations (5/3/06)

Reducing Unwed Childbearing: The Missing Link in Efforts to Promote Marriage

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 00:00:00 GMT

With so much attention on promoting and sustaining marriage among low-income couples who already have children, policymakers risk forgetting about the need to reduce unwed childbearing in the first place. These initiatives are needed for a number of reasons.

The Decline in Marriage: What To Do

Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:00:00 GMT

High U.S. rates of family dissolution and lone-parent child rearing impose large costs on individuals and society. A variety of new federal and state initiatives are attempting to promote family formation and healthy marriage among interested couples, including poor and minority couples who have had babies outside marriage. Careful evaluations of these programs should identify which are most effective.

Effects on Recent Fiscal Policies on Today's Children and Future Generations

Mon, 07 Jun 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Paper by William G. Gale and Laurence J. Kotlikoff (5/21/04)

Who's Minding the Kids?

Thu, 01 Jan 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Article by William G. Gale, The Milken Institute Review (Winter 2004)

What Can Be Done to Reduce Teen Pregnancy and Out-of-Wedlock Births?

Mon, 01 Oct 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Isabel V. Sawhill enumerate steps to be taken that will have the potential to maintain the progress made over the past decade in reducing teen and out-of-wedlock pregnancies.

How Congress Can Save Marriage

Mon, 05 Apr 1999 00:00:00 GMT

HOW CONGRESS CAN SAVE MARRIAGE:

Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Welfare Reform's Missing Component

Sun, 01 Nov 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Policy Brief #38, by Isabel V. Sawhill (October 1998)