Peer-reviewed article
Institutionalizing Society’s Commitment to Child Well-Being
Lynn D. Wardle ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This article asks whether societies actually give top priority to children's well-being, as most people say they should. It focuses on the United States and reviews how marital families have changed, mostly for the worse. It discusses a 'marriage crisis', the risks that cohabitation poses to marriage, and children's need to live with their married mothers and fathers. It concludes that marriage in the United States urgently needs to be revitalised for the sake of children and future generations.
Key points
- Nearly everyone agrees in principle that children's well-being should be a top priority in family life and public policy.
- The article asks whether societies, families and individuals really give children this priority.
- It reviews evidence of changing, mostly deteriorating, marital families in the United States.
- It argues that non-marital cohabitation poses risks to the institution of marriage.
- It concludes that marriage needs to be revitalised in the United States for the sake of children and future generations.
Limitations
Only the introduction and outline are available, so the underlying evidence, data and methods cannot be assessed. The argument is specific to the United States and reflects a particular position on marriage, so it says little about other contexts or family forms.
Abstract
“Protecting children is a top priority” was a headline in an American newspaper recently. The headline and accompanying commentary—written by a member of the Minnesota state legislature—expressed a sentiment that is widely supported in the United States of America and in most nations around the world. Similarly, the director of a British child services agency recently declared: “We need to think about the child’s physical safety, social safety, emotional safety—their whole wellbeing both at home and in the school environment. Again, the sentiment is nearly universal. In principle, nearly everyone agrees that the well-being of children should be given top priority not only in our personal and family lives, but even more so in matters of public policy such as government services and programs. However, in reality, do we (as societies, families, and individuals) actually give top priority to providing for and protecting children?” This article reviews evidence of changing (mostly deteriorating) marital families in the United States in Part II. Next, in Part III, the contemporary “marriage crisis” is examined, and why it matters. Part IV discusses the risks that non-marital cohabitation poses to the institution of marriage. Children’s need and hunger to live in marital families with their mothers and fathers are reviewed in Part V. The conclusion, in Part VI, emphasizes the urgent need to revitalize marriage in the United States for the sake of children and future generations.