Strengthening Couples and Marriage in Low-Income Communities


 

Publication Date: March 2001

Publisher: Praeger Publishers

Author(s): Theodora Ooms

Research Area: Social conditions

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

This paper was first published as Chapter 7 in Revitalizing the Institution of Marriage for the Twenty-First Century: An Agenda For Strengthening Marriage, edited by Alan J. Hawkins, Lynn D. Wardle, and David Orgon Coolidge (Praeger, 2000). The evolving "marriage movement" is for the most part ignoring the needs and circumstances of low-income communities, what is known about the patterns of family formation and marriage among poor and near-poor, and what kinds of strategies may help strengthen low-income couples' relationships and marriages. It also offers a set of principles to guide pro-marriage policies and programs.