In 2004, 1.5 million children were born out of wedlock in the United States, reaching a record number. While marriage is important to improving outcomes for low-income families, this article argues that reducing unwed childbearing is a key for healthy marriages as well.

A four-paper series. These papers examine the economic returns to marriage, include a literature review, and review new empirical findings using three different data sets and a variety of statistical models.

The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) funded this project to learn about the status of policies to support and promote marriage at the state level. Policies were inventoried that were enacted and proposed both prior to PRWORA and after the law’s passage. The project did not examine specific programs operating in localities. Nor did it evaluate policies or make recommendations. This document inventories marriage policies in the 50 states and District of Columbia in 10 broad areas.

Authored by Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill. This article is found in the Brookings Institution Policy Brief entitled Welfare Reform and Beyond #28. In this brief, the authors contrast making cash and related forms of public assistance more generous with strategies that encourage work and marriage.

Authored by Robert E. Rector and Melissa G. Pardue, this research report by the Heritage Foundation provides a comprehensive overview of the research pertaining to healthy marriages and President Bush's Healthy Marriage Initiative. The report offers policy background information and describes the program specifics of the President's plan.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government's Roundtable on Religion and Social Policy recently hosted a panel discussion on healthy marriage on June 28, 2004. The following report is a transcript of the event. Speakers include Richard P. Nathan, Director of The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute Of Government and The Roundtable on Religion and Social Welfare Policy; John P. Bartkowski, Professor of Sociology, Mississippi State University; Wade F. Horn, Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families; W. Bradford Wilcox, Assistant Professor of Sociology, University of Virginia; Theodora Ooms, Senior Policy Analyst, The Center for Law and Social Policy.

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) recently created tables that summarize marriage-related policies in all 50 States. These policies include State marriage mentoring, education, and counseling programs; State marriage and divorce laws; and Treatment of two-parent families eligibility and marriage incentives in other programs.

The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) recently created tables that summarize marriage-related policies in all 50 States. These policies include State marriage mentoring, education, and counseling programs; State marriage and divorce laws; and Treatment of two-parent families eligibility and marriage incentives in other programs.

From Child Trends, this Research Brief defines healthy marriage by examining the concepts related to this term such as commitment, marital satisfaction, and communication, as well as two opposing elements of violence and infidelity. The definition of healthy marriage gives shape to a conceptual model that can help to inform the public on what "healthy marriage" entails.

The National Healthy Marriage Academy, held January 8 and 9, 2003,  in Arlington, VA, provided an opportunity for representatives from several States to learn more about the Administration for Children and Families' (ACF) Healthy Marriage Initiative. The Academy afforded States an opportunity to hear presentations from nationally recognized speakers, researchers, and Federal policy makers, as well as from other States with successful Healthy Marriage Initiatives.