A group of scholars recently released a study called “Why Marriage Matters: Thirty Conclusions from the Social Sciences.” The study found that while divorce rates have decreased, instability in families has greatly increased. Here are the conclusions of the study:
- The intact, biological, married family remains the gold standard for family life in the United States, insofar as children are most likely to thrive—economically, socially, and psychologically—in this family form.
- Marriage is an important public good, associated with a range of economic, health, educational, and safety benefits that help local, state, and federal governments serve the common good.
- The benefits of marriage extend to poor, working-class, and minority communities, despite the fact that marriage has weakened in these communities in the last four decades.
