How Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity
This paper discusses the economic benefits of marriage and the impact of family composition on children.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • June 11, 1999

Marriage and Welfare Reform: The Overwhelming Evidence that Marriage Education Works
This article looks at the effects of the 1996 welfare reform law to strengthen and increase the number of two-parent families in the United States.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • October 25, 2002

The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage in Canada: Law and Policy Considerations
This paper provides an overview of the legal history of same-sex marriage in Canada, suggests reasons why Canada is facing this debate, and discusses the real issues at stake in this debate.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Brigham Young University • May 26, 2004

Increasing Marriage will Dramatically Reduce Child Poverty
Using information from the Fragile Families Study, this paper seeks to explain the relationship between marriage, economic status, and the reduction of child poverty.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • May 20, 2003

Marriage and Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Unions- A Discussion Paper
This paper forms the basis for public discussion of the value and redefinition of marriage in Canadian law.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Department of Justice Canada • November 01, 2002

The Necessity of Marriage
This paper addresses why marriage is important for the foundation of a healthy, stable society.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • October 20, 2003

Public Divided About Definition of Marriage
As several Canadian courts have ruled that the current definition of marriage is unconstitutional and invalid, respondents were asked whether they supported or opposed changing the definition to include same-sex marriages.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• NFO CFGroup • September 01, 2003

Strengthening Couples and Marriage in Low-Income Communities
This paper discusses the importance of and challenges to promoting marriage in low-income communities, with a particular focus on the situation among urban African-Americans.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Resource Center on Couples and Marriage Policy, Center for Law and Social Policy • 2002

The Role of the Federal Government in Strengthening Marriage
This paper discusses the historical and current relationship between the federal government and marriage and examines the debates surrounding this relationship.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center for Law and Social Policy • 2002

For Richer or Poorer? Marriage as an Anti-Poverty Strategy in the United States
This paper provides a critique of policies that promote marriage as a route to economic stability for single mothers.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center for Research on Child Wellbeing • July 01, 2003

Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability
This paper argues that religion serves to preserve marriage and sound moral judgement while discouraging social ills such as crime, divorce, cohabitation, suicide, out-of-wedlock births, and drug abuse.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • January 25, 1996

Questioning the Paternity of Marital Children
This paper discusses the approaches that courts and legislatures are taking with regards to disestablishing the paternity of children born within a marriage.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center for Law and Social Policy • April 01, 2003

Domestic partnerships: A response to recent proposals on civic unions
This paper argues that the State should protect the unique status of marriage because of the social benefits to children and society.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Iona Institute for Religion and Society • 2007

Encouraging Marriage and Discouraging Divorce
This paper describes initiatives, both government-based and private/religious, aimed at reducing divorce and encouraging strong marriages.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • March 26, 2001

Love, Marriage, and the Baby Carriage: Revisiting the Channelling Function of Family Law
This paper examines how the law has responded to changes in the traditional social sequence of love, marriage and procreation.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• SSRN Electronic Paper Collection • April 4, 2007

The Impact of Family Formation Change on the Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Well-Being of the Next Generation
This paper discusses the cognitive, social and emotional benefits children receive growing up in a happily married two biological parent family.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Future of Children • Fall 2005

Marriage as a Public Issue
This paper examines the national marriage debate, arguing that the shifting role of marriage and family has been influenced by the development of fertility technologies which have separated childbearing from marriage.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Future of Children • Fall 2005

The Effects of Marriage on Health: A Synthesis of Recent Research Evidence
This policy paper examines research on the purported positive health effects of marriage.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Mathematica Policy Research • June 19, 2007

Polygamy in Canada: Legal and Social Implications for Women and Children- A Collection of Policy Reports
This report provides an examination of Canada's anti-polygamy law, as well as an examination of claims that banning polygamy is an impingement on religious freedom.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Status of Women Canada • November 2005

Evaluating Marriage: Does Marriage Matter to the Nurturing of Children?
This article shows that marriage is an institution worthy of state legal and financial support because of the positive effect marriage has on children.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• University of San Diego Law School • October 12, 2005

An Economic Assessment of Same-Sex Marriage Laws
This paper examines the economics of same-sex marriage and concludes that a "one size fits all" model for heterosexual and homosexual marriages may prove economically inefficient.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Harvard Society for Law & Public Policy, Inc. • 2006

No-Fault Divorce in Canada: Its Cause and Effect
This paper provides a good summary and analysis of no-fault divorce legislation in Canada.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Elsevier Science • 1998

How Have Policy Approaches to Polygamy Responded to Women's Experiences and Rights? An International, Comparative Analysis
This paper examines how women's social, economic and physical well-being is affected by polygamy and compares policies on polygamy from different countries.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Status of Women Canada • November 2005

Testimony of Barbara Dafoe Whitehead before the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Children and Families U.S. Senate
In this testimony the author answers three questions: What is marriage for? What do we know about the benefits of marriage for children and adults? How does marriage benefit society? The speaker explains the benefits of marriage for men, women and children and outlines economic, educational emotional advantages that marriage provides.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The National Marriage Project • April 28, 2004

The Benefits of Marriage and Why Government Should Support It
This essay argues the state should support marriage and lays out the reasons why: improved child outcomes, improved economic and emotional outcomes for parents among them.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• American Values • 2004

Expanding Recognition of Foreign Polygamous Marriages: Policy Implications for Canada
The authors of this report explore why they think foreign polygamous marriages should be recognized in Canada.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Status of Women Canada • November 2005

Abstract
This paper is an international review of social science research on polygamy and legal trends.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Status of Women Canada • November 2005

How Will Welfare Reform Affect Childbearing and Family Structure Decisions?
This paper provides evidence that reforms to the welfare system have been moderately successful both in encouraging marriage and in discouraging divorce, avoidance of child support, living separately from relatives, and childbearing while unmarried or on welfare.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Institute for Research on Poverty • October 2001

Canadian Marriage Policy: A Tragedy for Children
This paper explores the long-term costs of "companionate" vs.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Institute of Marriage and Family Canada • May 31, 2006

Why Congress Should Ignore Radical Feminist Opposition to Marriage
This article provides a historical review of feminism, as well as relevant research on marriage and family, ...
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Heritage Foundation • June 16, 2003

The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative
This policy brief outlines the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative which aims to reduce the state divorce and non-marital childbearing rates through instruction in marriage and relationship skills.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• US Department of Health and Human Services • December 2006

More than a Dating Service? State Activities Designed to Strengthen and Promote Marriage
This report describes some of the numerous and varied programs and policies that are being implemented in various states to promote marriage and two-parent families.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center for Law and Social Policy • October 01, 2002

Marriage and Government: Strange Bedfellows?
This paper discusses the role that government should play in promoting marriage.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center for Law and Social Policy • August 01, 2001

Beyond Marriage Licenses: Efforts in States to Strengthen Marriage and Two-Parent Families - A State-by-State Snapshot
This report provides a state-by-state review of government programs that have been implemented since the mid-1990s to promote and strengthen marriages and lower divorce rates.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center for Law and Social Policy • April 01, 2004

Will Extending Medicaid to Two-Parent Families Encourage Marriage?
This paper hypothesizes that the restriction of Medicaid to single-parent families acts as a disincentive to marry and that changes in the marriage rate would occur if this restriction was removed .
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Institute for Research on Poverty • January 01, 1997

Canadian Attitudes on the Family
This survey asked a broad range of questions dealing with all aspects of the attitudes of Canadians toward marital and family satisfaction, work/family balance, taxation, family size, the impacts of cohabitation, divorce, same-sex marriage, parenting and the impact of children on marital satisfaction, and the significance of religion.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Focus on the Family (Canada) • June 01, 2002

Is a Baby a Good Reason to Marry?
This article examines the reasons which lead women and men to decide not to marry the other parent of their child.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Center of the American Experiment • Summer 2001

The Future of Family Law: Law and the Marriage Crisis in North America.
This paper contends that the current debate in family law is centrally about competing visions of marriage.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• Institute for American Values, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, Institute for the Study of Marriage, Law and Culture • June 2005

Parliamentary Report on the Family and the Rights of Children
This report prepared for the French National Assembly sets out 100 proposals to amend statutory or regulatory provisions in order to protect the rights of children.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• National Assembly of France • January 26, 2006

Why Marriage Matters: The Case for Normal Marriage
This is the testimony of Maggie Gallagher before the U.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary • September 4, 2003

Marriage and the Public Good: Ten Principles
This online book outlines ten principles why marriage is good for society and policies that need to be adopted to make marriage more attractive.
• Category: Public Policy > Marriage
• The Witherspoon Institute • June 2006

Marriage Decline in America
This paper reports on the declining rates of marriage in America and emphasizes the negative impact this h