THE FUTURE OF THE BLACK FAMILY
The Benefits of Marriage for African American Men
Research Brief No. 10, May 2008
Currently, many policymakers and civic leaders are interested in developing strategies to improve the well-being of African American men, and to close the achievement gap between black men and other groups. This brief surveys the research on the effects of family structure on African American men and finds overwhelming evidence that getting and staying married has a significant beneficial effect on black men’s well-being.
For A New Revisionism: Scholarship on the Black Family since the Moynihan Report
Research Brief No. 9, March 2008
The decline of marriage among African Americans has been one of the most dramatic social changes in recent American history. Since 1940, rates of divorce and nonmarriage have soared among Black adults, and, as a result, the percentage of Black children born to unmarried mothers has risen from 17 percent to 70 percent.
Baby Fathers and American Family Formation
Essay, Future of the Black Family Series, August 2007
How do we help low-income, never-married parents stay together and avoid breaking up? Read how the “daddy moment” offers a potentially rich opportunity for researchers, policy makers, and other social and civic leaders to help the couple deal with tensions and issues arising from their shared parenting roles and possibly imagine marriage to one another.
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Responding to the Black Marriage Crisis: A New Vision for Change
Brief 6, Future of the Black Family Series, May 2007
This research brief lays out a positive vision and tangible steps that will help us create a new, healthy Black marriage culture in America.
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Religion, Race, and Relationships in Urban America
Brief 5, Future of the Black Family Series, May 2007
This brief is the first published research on the link between religiosity and relationship quality among unmarried couples in fragile families.
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The Other Marriage Penalty: A New Proposal to Eliminate the Marriage Penalty for Low-Income Americans
Brief 3, Future of the Black Family Series, November 2006
Our welfare system frequently cuts benefits to low-income couples that decide to marry. Read more about the problem and a new proposal to fix it.
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Marriage and the Well-Being of African American Boys
Brief 2, Future of the Black Family Series, November 2006
African American boys tend to receive more support and have better outcomes–including greater self-esteem and reduced likelihood of delinquency–when they live with married parents.
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The Consequences of Marriage for African Americans: A Comprehensive Literature Review
Report, Future of the Black Family Series, September 2005
Scholars still lack a comprehensive understanding of the consequences of marriage for African Americans. This report seeks to close that knowledge gap.
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Read Ex Summ | Download Ex Summ
| Order ReportBlack Fathers in Contemporary American Society: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Strategies for Change
Book, Future of the Black Family Series, 2003
Black Fathers in Contemporary American Society looks at father absence from two sides, offering an in-depth analysis of how the absence of African American fathers affects their children, their relationships, and society as a whole, while countering the notion that father absence and family fragmentation within the African American community is inevitable.
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Turning the Corner on Father Absence in Black America
Report, June 1999
