,,Marriage: Still the Safest Place For Women and Children

Marriage: Still the Safest Place For Women and Children


 

Publication Date: March 2004

Publisher: Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

Author(s): Robert E. Rector; Patrick F. Fagan; Kirk A. Johnson

Research Area: Social conditions

Keywords: Family

Type: Report

Abstract:

Social science data clearly show that mothers and children are safest and thrive best in a married family. For example, the incidence of spousal, boyfriend, or domestic partner abuse is twice as high among mothers who have never been married as it is among mothers who have ever married (including those separated or divorced). Members of Congress should begin to implement policies to reduce the bias against marriage in welfare programs and to strengthen marriage as the primary institution for raising children.