Research Archive

October 27, 2023

What liberals don’t understand about men and marriage

There’s no question the bond between fatherhood and marriage is weaker today than it was 60 years ago. Whereas almost 80% of children were raised in an intact, married home with their father in the early 1960s, today only about 51% have that privilege. In the face of what seems like a fraying father-marriage bond, some left-leaning men’s advocates…

By W. Bradford Wilcox | Wendy Wang | Elizabeth Self

August 17, 2023

The ‘Utah Family Miracle’ and Why It Matters

Utah ranks at the top of many rankings of state performance across America. But perhaps the Beehive State is best known for its top rankings on the economic front. The “Utah economic miracle” — marked by exceptional economic growth, a favorable business climate and high rates of economic mobility — has garnered attention across the…

By W. Bradford Wilcox | Patrick T. Brown | Jenet Erickson

July 21, 2023

Can Spain Defuse Its Depopulation Bomb?

Over the past 40 years, no party has dominated the Spanish political landscape like the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, or PSOE, now headed by Pedro Sánchez. Yet frustration over its handling of key issues — from the economy to immigration to regional separatist movements — has provided an opening for the centre-right People’s Party (PP)…

By W. Bradford Wilcox | Tim Sprunt

June 30, 2023

House Republican Plan Penalizes Marriage

We just got more bad news about marriage. A record-high 25% of 40-year-olds in the United States were never married in 2021, according to sobering new statistics from the Pew Research Center. That statistic compares to just 6% of never-married 40-year-olds in 1980, underscoring marriage’s falling fortunes in recent decades. Digging further into the Pew data reveals that this retreat from…

By W. Bradford Wilcox

June 11, 2023

Now Political Polarization Comes for Marriage Prospects

Marriage rates in America are falling fast: Many men and women are marrying later, and more and more people are never marrying at all. Marriage is in retreat for a host of reasons, but one overlooked cause is the rising difficulty many young people have finding a partner who meets all of their requirements—emotional, physical, financial, and political. That last…

By W. Bradford Wilcox

May 26, 2023

The Power of the Success Sequence

Introduction The “Success Sequence,” a formula to help young adults succeed in America, has been discussed widely in recent years, including by Brookings Institution scholars Ron Haskins and Isabel Sawhill. The formula involves three steps: get at least a high school education, work full time, and marry before having children. Among Millennials who followed this…

By W. Bradford Wilcox | Wendy Wang

May 25, 2023

Education Freedom and Work Opportunities as Catalysts for Increasing the Birth Rate Among Married Couples

Summary Pursuing new, commonsense approaches to education reform and work–family policies, from childcare and early education through higher education and workforce flexibility, will foster the conditions for family flourishing and increase birth rates for married couples. Affordable childcare from a variety of providers, including at-home options, access to high-quality K–12 education that reflects a family’s…

By W. Bradford Wilcox | Lindsey M. Burke | Rachel Greszler

April 25, 2023

A Debate on Fatherhood

Richard Reeves and Ian Rowe debate the question, “Does strengthening fatherhood depend upon renewing marriage in America?” In his recent book, Of Boys and Men, Brookings Senior Fellow Richard Reeves argues that the institution of fatherhood must be revitalized in order to promote successful outcomes for boys and men, even if it means separating the…

May 26, 2022

Realizing the Dream: What Does the Success Sequence Have to Do with the Economic Welfare of Black and Hispanic Young Adults?

Event Transcript Event Summary On May 26, a panel of experts discussed a new report published by AEI and the Institute for Family Studies on the effectiveness of the success sequence for minorities and low-income Americans. AEI’s W. Bradford Wilcox and Wendy Wang of the Institute for Family Studies highlighted new data suggesting that, contrary…

By W. Bradford Wilcox

October 19, 2021

The Divided State of Our Unions

Executive Summary Where is the American family headed as COVID-19 finally seems to be abating? Focusing on family formation in the United States, this report considers three possibilities: (a) the “decadence-deepens scenario,” where marriage and fertility fall further in the wake of the pandemic; (b) the “renaissance scenario,” where men and women turn towards family…

By W. Bradford Wilcox | Lyman Stone | Wendy Wang | Jason Carroll