A new study by scholars at the Institute for Family Studies has found divorce rates are down, family stability is improving, and most children are being raised in two-parent households.
While IFS predicts that one-third of young adults will never marry and one-fourth may not have children, the study found “major shifts” suggesting that marriage is becoming stronger in America. “Divorce is down,” the authors write, “as is single parenthood, and the share of kids being raised in stable married families is ticking up.”
When it comes to divorce rates, the study says, “The bottom line: Most married couples will make it.”
All of this is good news for several reasons.
Marriage is not “just a piece of paper,” and a wedding is more than just a social event.
Research repeatedly has shown that healthy marriages are good for adults, good for children, and good for society.
Cohabiting relationships tend to be less happy and less healthy. Meanwhile, children with a married mother and father are less likely to live in poverty.
Married couples report more satisfaction across the board than cohabiting couples, and marriage is also broadly connected with better health and wellbeing. In fact, a 2016 article from Harvard noted that marriage is tied to living longer, having fewer strokes, and enjoying better mental wellbeing.
Good relationships and healthy marriages are part of human flourishing. We ought to do what we can to promote marriage in Arkansas, and we ought to celebrate the fact that marriage rates seem to be on the upswing in our country.
Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.
