Traditional Family Values: The Nuclear Family
This is part of Family Council’s ongoing series outlining the importance of traditional family values in society. Today’s installment focuses on the value of the nuclear family.
The nuclear family consisting of a married mother and father with their children is a cornerstone of our society.
Below are two key points to consider.
The Nuclear Family Provides Stability and Structure
Strong families are essential for building strong communities and a strong society. The nuclear family provides a foundation for that to happen.
Families offer a stable environment where men, women, and children to flourish and contribute to their communities.
The nuclear family is especially important for children, because it provides them with stability and structure. Children thrive when they are raised in a home with a married mother and father who are committed to one another and to their children.
The Nuclear Family Helps Prevent Poverty
Marriage and family provide a hedge against poverty.
An exhaustive report from the Heritage Foundation found that people were 82% less likely to experience poverty when they graduated from high school, then got married, then had children, and then remained married.
The same study found children from single-parent homes were:
- More than twice as likely to be arrested for a juvenile crime;
- Twice as likely to be treated for emotional and behavioral problems;
- Roughly twice as likely to be suspended or expelled from school; and
- A third more likely to drop out before completing high school.
A 2014 study by officials from the National Marriage Project found, “Growing up with both parents (in an intact family) is strongly associated with more education, work, and income among today’s young men and women.”
Marriage and the nuclear family provide a hedge against poverty and other bad outcomes for children.
