Other Resources: Research and Facts
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Research Projects, Initiatives & On-line Resources
- The National Healthy Marriage Resource Center - Administered under a cooperative agreement with the Office of Family Assistance within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the NHMRC is a national resource and clearinghouse for information and research relating to healthy marriages. Click here to access their Research and Statistics and Researchers and Evaluators resources.
 Building Strong Families. Coordinated by Mathematica Policy Research Inc., under contract to the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, BSF is an initiative to develop and evaluate programs designed to help interested unwed parents achieve their aspirations for healthy marriage and a stable family life. This website is designed to help programs that participate in the evaluation, and other interested parties, learn about the progress of the evaluation and the kinds of services that are being.
- Center For Law and Social Policy. CLASP focuses on a "Marriage-Plus" perspective, which has two main goals centered on the well-being of children: (1) to help more children grow up with their two biological, married parents whose relationship is healthy; (2) when this isn’t possible, to help parents--whether unmarried, cohabiting, separated, divorced, or remarried--cooperate better in raising their children. Research reports, policy briefs, fact sheets and more provided.
- Child Trends. Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children by conducting research and providing science-based information to improve the decisions, programs, and policies that affect children and their families. Currently, Child Trends is engaged in a number of projects that focus on conceptualizing and defining “healthy marriage” and evaluating the implications of marriage-strengthening efforts for families and for children.
- Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, also called The Survey of New Parents, follows a birth cohort of (mostly) unwed parents and their children over a four year period. The study is designed to provide new information on the capabilities and relationships of unwed parents, as well as the effects of policies on family formation and child wellbeing. Provide reports and articles on current findings from the study.
- Marriage and Welfare Reform. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families provides a comprehensive listing of resources that explore the goals of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) to encourage marriage and discourage out-of-wedlock births.
- The National Center for Marriage Research - Through a cooperative agreement with Bowling Green State University, The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services established the National Center for Marriage Research (NCMR). The NCMR aims to improve our understanding of how marriage and family structure affect the health and well-being of individuals, families, children and communities, and inform policy development and programmatic responses.
- The National Marriage Project. The mission of the National Marriage Project is to provide research and analysis on the state of marriage in America and to educate the public on the social, economic and cultural conditions affecting marital success and child wellbeing.
Selected Research Reports & Briefs
- Out of Order? Factors Influencing the Sequence of Marriage and Childbirth Among Disadvantaged Americans. Author: Paula Roberts. Date: January 10, 2007. This brief explores the attitudinal, experiential, economic, and social contexts in which disadvantaged parents have children and decide to marry or not marry.
- How Research on Family Structure and Children's Development can inform Healthy Marriage Practitioners in the Field. (available in HTML and PDF). Author: Kelleen Kaye. Date: November 30, 2006. This policy brief, released by The New America Foundation, a Washington centrist think tank, weighs-in on the Healthy Marriage issue and cites many Journal of Marriage and Family articles.
- Building Bridges Between Healthy Marriage, Responsible Fatherhood, and Domestic Violence Programs: A Preliminary Guide. Authors: Theodora Ooms, Paula Roberts, Anne Menard et al. Date: December 7, 2006. This guide summarizes the lessons learned at the Building Bridges Wingspread Conference, held in May 2006. This conference brought together leaders from three fields--healthy marriage, responsible fatherhood, and domestic violence--to discuss current tensions and concerns; identify common ground; and discuss possible avenues for cooperation, collaboration, and joint action, avenues that would result in better outcomes for children and adults alike.
- The Future of Children, Marriage and Child Well-Being. Author: Sara McLanahan, Ron Haskins and Elisabeth Donahue, eds. Brookings Institution Press and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Date: Fall 2005. This volume looks at the history of marriage in America, the changes in family formation and the effect of these changes on economic and social outcomes for children, and the effect of marriage policy on specific subgroups such as low-income, minority, and homosexual families. The volume also provides a review of programs that have tried to increase and stabilize marriage as well as the impact of tax and transfer policies on marriage.
- With This Ring...A National Survey on Marriage in America. National Fatherhood Initiative, Date: November 17, 2005. A report of findings based a national telephone survey of 1,503 Americans age 18 and older conducted late in 2003 and early in 2004 that asked questions about attitudes toward marriage, aspirations for marriage, and past experiences with marriage. Separate reports are also available for unique surveys conducted in 25 different states.
- Why Marriage Matters, Second Edition: Twenty-Six Conclusions from the Social Sciences. Institute for American Values, Date: October 24, 2005. This report is an attempt to summarize the large body of scientific research on what is known about the importance of marriage in the family and social system.
- Systematic Review of the Impact of Marriage and Relationship Programs. (available in HTLM or PDF format). Jane Reardon-Anderson, Matthew Stagner, Jennifer Ehrle Macomber, Julie Murray. Urban Institute and Administration of Children and Families.. Date: February 2005. The review examines 39 studies representing the highest quality evidence available in the field of marriage research and confirms that marriage programs lead to positive effects for couples. The results indicate that programs focusing on improving communication skills and relationship satisfaction produce statistically significant improvements in both of these areas.
- Service Delivery and Evaluation Design Options for Strengthening and Promoting Healthy Marriages: Investigation of Programs to Strengthen and Support Healthy Marriages. (available in HTLM or PDF format). Jennifer Ehrle Macomber, Julie Murray, Matthew Stagner. Urban Institute and Administration of Children and Families. Date: February 2005. The review is based on 58 telephone discussions with current and potential program providers and visited five geographic areas with multiple programs and examines the service delivery setting, specifically the types of services provided, target groups served, the size of the program, funding mechanisms, and collaborating organizations.
- What We Know About Unmarried Parents: Implications for Building Strong Families Programs. Authors: Marcia Carlson, Sara McLanahan, Paula England, and Barbara Devaney. Mathematica Policy Research Inc. Date: January 2005. This brief, the third in a series from the Building Strong Families (BSF) project, draws on Mathematica's survey for the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study on the characteristics and relationship patterns of unwed parents. The findings can help state and local agencies and other groups designing BSF programs gain a better understanding of their target population and develop interventions that respond to their needs and circumstances.
- What is "Healthy Marriage?" Defining the Concept. Author: Kristin Moore, Susan Jekielek, Jacinta Bronte-Tinkew, Lina Guzman, Suzanne Ryan, Zakia Redd. Child Trends. Date: 2004. This research brief examines the concept and the elements that help define a healthy marriage and the factors that are antecedents and consequences of healthy marriages.
 Do Good Partners Make Good Parents? Relationship Quality and Parenting in Married and Unmarried Families. Author: Marcia Carlson and Sara McLanahan. Date: December 2004, Number 29. This brief uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine the effects of relationship quality on parenting. The study collects data from both mothers and fathers and includes multiple measures of relationship quality and parenting.
- Are Married Parents Really Better for Children? What Research Says About the Effects of Family Structure on Child Well-Being. Author: Mary Parke, Policy Analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy. Date: May 2003. The third in a series on Couples and Marriage Research and Policy, this brief summarizes the research on the effects of family structure on child well-being, discusses some of the complexities of the research, and identifies issues that remain to be explored. The series focuses on the effects on child well-being, with a special interest in couple relationships and marriage in low-income communities.
- Marriage from a Child’s Perspective: How Does Family Structure Affect Children, and What Can We Do about It? Author: Kristin Anderson Moore, Susan Jekielek and Carol Emig; Date: June 2002. This Child Trends brief reviews the research evidence on the effects of family structure on children, as well as key trends in family structure over the last few decades. An extensive body of research indicates that children do best when they grow up with both biological parents in a low-conflict marriage. At the same time, research on how to promote strong, low-conflict marriages is thin at best. This brief also discusses promising strategies for reducing births outside of marriage and promoting strong, stable marriages.
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