Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Sociologist and director of the National Marriage Project Dr. Bradford Wilcox reveals the social transformations and political posturing threatening the tradition American family and offers a way forward to protect and nurture it.
The American family is in crisis. Marriage and fertility rates are cratering. While divorce rates have returned to levels not seen since the early 1960s, family instability is on the rise for many American children. More couples are having children outside of marriage, in cohabiting unions, which are often unstable. Based on recent studies done by the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, run by Dr. Bradford Wilcox, "cohabiting households are more likely to suffer from a range of emotional and social problems--drug use, depression, and dropping out of high school--compared to children in intact, married families." The financial, educational, emotional, and social impact of these trends is immeasurable, yet few have sounded the national alarm.
Since the 1960s, the American family has been buffeted by waves of progressive social change that has undermined and threatened its very existence, Wilcox argues. Some on the left have gone so far as to say that children make marriage miserable, that career is more likely bring personal fulfillment than a spouse, and that faith poisons family life. Yet he accuses many of those same people of raising traditional families while support public policies that ensure family failure for the poor and working classes--making it increasingly difficult for them to succeed.
In this hard-hitting book, Wilcox details Hollywood, the media, and the Ivory Tower's efforts to undermine the American family. He refutes commonly held misconceptions about marriage and raising children, and puts this sacred institution back to its rightful place as the center of American society. With Get Married Wilcox shows that a stable and satisfying family life is not only desirable but sustainable and offers inspiration and a true pathway that can benefit all Americans, not just a select few.
Synopsis
University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox explains how our ruling class publicly disparages marriage - the institution most likely to deliver prosperity and happiness to ordinary Americans - while privately embracing it.
America is in crisis. Happiness is falling, loneliness and despair are rising, too many schools are riddled by fights and failure, crime is unacceptably high, and the American Dream is out of reach for millions. The problems are visible to us all, but virtually no one is talking about the solution that matters most: Marriage.
New research by University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox shows that Americans who get married and have children today are leading happier and more prosperous lives, on average, than men and women who are single and childless. In fact, nothing predicts happiness in life better than a good marriage--not even a hefty bank account or a great career. And kids and communities--not to mention our civilization as a whole--are much more likely to flourish when the state of our unions is strong, according to Wilcox, who directs the National Marriage Project at U.Va.
But our country is in crisis because record numbers of Americans are not succeeding at getting or staying married. In this hard-hitting book, Wilcox reveals the anti-family messages and policies that have weakened marriage coming out of Hollywood, Washington, the media, academia, and corporate America.
The good news, however, is that millions of Americans are succeeding at marriage. Dr. Wilcox spotlights four groups--Asian, conservative, religious, and college-educated Americans--who are building strong and stable marriages by defying the me-first messages of our elites in favor of a family-first way of life.
This is a book for anyone who wants to understand why, even as fewer men and women tie the knot, America's most fundamental institution matters more than ever for our civilization. And for men and women looking to forge strong, stable, and happy unions for themselves and their children, Get Married reveals the road forward.
Synopsis
A Next Big Idea Club Must-Read
What's the recipe for happiness? If you listen to liberal elites or red pill influencers, you'd say it's making money, living for yourself, and staying single without kids--and you'd be wrong. Nothing predicts happiness better than a good marriage.
According to new research by the University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox, our kids and communities--not to mention our civilization as a whole--are much more likely to flourish when the state of our unions is strong. Despite this, record numbers of Americans are not succeeding at getting or staying married.
In this hard-hitting book, Wilcox reveals the anti-family messages and policies coming out of Holly-wood, Washington, the media, academia, and corporate America that have weakened marriage. Along the way, he knocks down a number of myths they've propa-gated. He reveals:
- Both men and women who get and stay married accumulate much greater wealth than people who don't marry.
- Married men and women with families report more meaningful lives, compared with their single and childless peers.
- Couples who take a "we-before-me" approach to married life--by, for instance, sharing joint checking accounts--are happier and less divorce-prone than couples who do not.
- Couples who forge "family-first" marriages--characterized by frequent date nights, family fun time, and chores done with the kids--enjoy the happiest marriages.
Wilcox spotlights four groups--Asian American, Conservative, Faithful, and Strivers--who have built strong, stable marriages by defying the me-first mes-sages of our elites in favor of a family-first way of life.
This is a book for anyone who wants to under-stand why, even as fewer men and women tie the knot, America's most fundamental institution matters for our civilization more than ever. And for men and women looking to establish strong, stable, and happy unions for themselves and their children, Get Married reveals the road forward.