Marriage promotion
Encyclopedia
Marriage
promotion is a neoliberal
policy aiming to produce “strong families” for the purposes of social security; as found in 21st century American maternalism
.
The George W. Bush Administration had focused on government marriage promotion as the solution to the high poverty rates experienced by single-parent families, diverting to marriage promotion tens of millions of dollars appropriated by Congress for other purposes, and successfully lobbying Congress to establish a federal marriage promotion program. These programs seek to get unmarried parents to marry and to deter separation
or divorce
.
couples are told to enter and stay in government-certified marriages in order to be economically successfully and responsible citizens. This concept more or less coincides with the concept of a covenant marriage
. Same-sex marriage
and cohabitation
are ignored by all marriage promotion programs due to moral reasons. This promotion has its roots in the roots in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act
. This legislation permitted American states to deny assistance to fully qualified applicants - resulting in the abrogation of some applicants' constitutional rights.
Childbirth with marriage is supported along with the marriage promotion as two people can raise a baby better than an unwed mother or father. Marriage was promoted in the 1990s in order to promote family values. Rising divorce rates in the 1980s and 1990s in addition to plummeting marriage rates, however, allowed then-current U.S. President George W. Bush
to pass a nationwide marriage promotion law in the 2000s.
A major impetus behind marriage promotion is increasing father
involvement. Low-income fathers are forced to take more responsibility for childrearing and their relationships with female partners. From a starting point of underfunded schools, poverty and family chaos, they often do poorly in school
and drop out. The men usually end up selling illegal drugs while their girlfriends are at higher risk for pregnancy - one of the few ways that both genders can have a sense of power. Fathers are urged to get married to the women that they impregnate so that they can establish traditional families, according to the Alliance for Marriage
.
Marriage promotion may also lead to discrimination against single-parent families that actually increases their poverty
and hardship. Some marriage promotion supporters advocate promoting marriage by excluding single-parent families from some public benefit
s. Marriage promotion also teaches women to be dependent on a spouse instead of being economically independent.
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
promotion is a neoliberal
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy based on neoclassical theories of economics that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets, and therefore seeks to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the...
policy aiming to produce “strong families” for the purposes of social security; as found in 21st century American maternalism
Maternalism
Maternalism refers to an attitude or a policy reminiscent of the non-hierarchic pattern of a family based on matriarchy.In this form of system, women use society in order to protect children from unnecessary harm. This system is the opposite of paternalism; which refers to a policy that resembles...
.
The George W. Bush Administration had focused on government marriage promotion as the solution to the high poverty rates experienced by single-parent families, diverting to marriage promotion tens of millions of dollars appropriated by Congress for other purposes, and successfully lobbying Congress to establish a federal marriage promotion program. These programs seek to get unmarried parents to marry and to deter separation
Legal separation
Legal separation is a legal process by which a married couple may formalize a de facto separation while remaining legally married. A legal separation is granted in the form of a court order, which can be in the form of a legally binding consent decree...
or divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
.
Summary
Marriage promotion includes laws, budget allocations, administrative regulations, think-tank recommendations, and operating programs that work in the favor of married people while disfavoring unmarried people. HeterosexualHeterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
couples are told to enter and stay in government-certified marriages in order to be economically successfully and responsible citizens. This concept more or less coincides with the concept of a covenant marriage
Covenant marriage
In some parts of the United States, a covenant marriage is a legally distinct kind of marriage, in which the marrying couple agree to obtain pre-marital counseling and accept more limited grounds for divorce...
. Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
and cohabitation
Cohabitation
Cohabitation usually refers to an arrangement whereby two people decide to live together on a long-term or permanent basis in an emotionally and/or sexually intimate relationship. The term is most frequently applied to couples who are not married...
are ignored by all marriage promotion programs due to moral reasons. This promotion has its roots in the roots in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is a United States federal law considered to be a fundamental shift in both the method and goal of federal cash assistance to the poor. The bill added a workforce development component to welfare legislation, encouraging...
. This legislation permitted American states to deny assistance to fully qualified applicants - resulting in the abrogation of some applicants' constitutional rights.
Childbirth with marriage is supported along with the marriage promotion as two people can raise a baby better than an unwed mother or father. Marriage was promoted in the 1990s in order to promote family values. Rising divorce rates in the 1980s and 1990s in addition to plummeting marriage rates, however, allowed then-current U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to pass a nationwide marriage promotion law in the 2000s.
A major impetus behind marriage promotion is increasing father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
involvement. Low-income fathers are forced to take more responsibility for childrearing and their relationships with female partners. From a starting point of underfunded schools, poverty and family chaos, they often do poorly in school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and drop out. The men usually end up selling illegal drugs while their girlfriends are at higher risk for pregnancy - one of the few ways that both genders can have a sense of power. Fathers are urged to get married to the women that they impregnate so that they can establish traditional families, according to the Alliance for Marriage
Alliance for Marriage
The Alliance for Marriage , founded in 1999, is a non-profit organization based in the United States. The organization describes itself as "dedicated to promoting marriage and addressing the epidemic of fatherless families in the United States." The group was founded by Matt Daniels and is...
.
Marriage promotion may also lead to discrimination against single-parent families that actually increases their poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and hardship. Some marriage promotion supporters advocate promoting marriage by excluding single-parent families from some public benefit
Public good
In economics, a public good is a good that is non-rival and non-excludable. Non-rivalry means that consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce availability of the good for consumption by others; and non-excludability means that no one can be effectively excluded from using the good...
s. Marriage promotion also teaches women to be dependent on a spouse instead of being economically independent.