What Emerging Research Says about Marriage & Divorce

Research Findings on Divorce

Risk of food insecurity doubles in broken homes.

Children are 2x as likely to need counseling or medication.

Children experiencing their parents’ divorce face a 50% higher risk of a suicide attempt.

Young men growing up in a broken home are 2x more likely to end up in jail or prison.

Violent crime spikes in neighborhoods where single-parent homes are the norm.

Lowest rates of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress
Dramatically lower risks of abuse and neglect
Young men raised by their married biological fathers are 4x more likely to graduate college than go to prison.
Significantly less likely to experience teen pregnancy

The single strongest predictor of upward economic mobility is the number of two-parent, married families living in a neighborhood.

Sources:

Luscombe, Belinda. "Does Marriage Really Bring People Happiness? A Discussion." Time, February 20, 2024.
Sawhill, Isabel, and Kai Smith. "New Research Confirms Having Married Parents Helps Kids Get Ahead." Institute for Family Studies, May 20, 2024.
U.S. Census Bureau. "American Community Survey."
Wilcox, Brad. "The Closing of the American Heart." Deseret News, April 30, 2024.
Wilcox, Brad. "Two Is Wealthier Than One: Marital Status and Wealth Outcomes among Preretirement Adults." Institute for Family Studies, December 1, 2021.
Wilcox, Brad, Sam Herrin, Jesse Smith, and Wendy Wang. "The Family-to-Prison-or-College Pipeline: Married Fathers and Young Men's Transition to Adulthood." Institute for Family Studies, June 2024.
Wilcox, Brad, and Robert I. Lerman. "For Richer, for Poorer: How Family Structures Economic Success in America." American Enterprise Institute, October 28, 2014.