By Kristian JohnsonTuesday 21 Feb 2023RelationshipsReading Time: 2 minutes
Here is a sobering assessment of the state of marriage in the USA, according to a sociology professor of family studies.
“Marriage has lost ground, has retreated the most, among working-class and poor Americans,” Brad Wilcox said.
“What that means practically of course, both economically and socially, is that leaves poor and working-class adults and kids doubly disadvantaged.”
In a recent episode of his podcast, Conversations, John Anderson sat down with Wilcox, Professor of Sociology and Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia.
Brad also is Senior Fellow at the Institute for Family Studies, and a Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.
John discussed the state of the modern family in the West with Brad, as well as the consequences of the breakdown of the traditional family unit.
Wilcox’s perspective may be unpopular today, in a society housing a multiplicity of different family arrangements.
But his research shows that across most measurements – economic security, educational outcomes, family stability, health, prosperity and the like – people living in traditional families (especially children) with married biological parents fare better, on average, than the alternatives.
In the face of some contemporary assumptions about family and relationships, Brad demonstrated several things about married couples who have had fewer sexual partners before marrying, those who marry younger, those who don’t co-habit before getting married, and couples who share a strong faith commitment in a religious community.
Such people, according to Brad’s research, more often experience happier, more fulfilled and longer lasting marriages.
Professor Wilcox’s research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Slate, NPR and NBC’s The Today Show where he has focused on marriage, fatherhood, and cohabitation.
He specialises in the ways family structure, civil society, and culture have influenced the quality and stability of family life in the United States and around the globe.
John Anderson served as Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from 1999 to 2005.
A committed Christian, John’s podcast features interviews with various thought leaders from around the world on topics as varied as politics, culture, academia and faith.
John is motivated by a desire to encourage open and honest discussion of important issues so that we can, as a society, reach the best possible outcomes for as many people as possible.
Article supplied with thanks to JohnAnderson.net.au.
About the Author: Kristian Johnson is a writer working for John Anderson and his Conversations series, as well as the John Anderson Direct podcast.
Feature image: Photo by Drew Coffman on Unsplash