Marriage promotion

Marriage promotion is a neoliberal policy aiming to produce “strong families” for the purposes of social security; as found in 21st century American maternalism.^[1]

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.^[2] These programs seek to get unmarried parents to marry and to deter separation or divorce.^[2]

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.^[3] Heterosexual couples are told to enter and stay in government-certified marriages in order to be economically successfully and responsible citizens.^[3] 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^[3] due to moral reasons. This promotion has its roots in the roots in the 1996 Welfare Reform Act.^[4] This legislation permitted American states to deny assistance to fully qualified applicants - resulting in the abrogation of some applicants' constitutional rights.^[4]

Childbirth with marriage is supported along with the marriage promotion as two people can raise a baby better than an unwed mother or father.^[5] 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,^[5] 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.^[6] Low-income fathers are forced to take more responsibility for childrearing and their relationships with female partners.^[6] From a starting point of underfunded schools, poverty and family chaos, they often do poorly in school and drop out.^[6] 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.^[6] 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.^[7]

Marriage promotion may also lead to discrimination against single-parent families that actually increases their poverty and hardship.^[2] Some marriage promotion supporters advocate promoting marriage by excluding single-parent families from some public benefits.^[2] Marriage promotion also teaches women to be dependent on a spouse instead of being economically independent.^[2]

References

1. ^ "Not Just Maternalism: Marriage and Fatherhood in American Welfare Policy". Oxford Journals. http://sp.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/1/24.short?rss=1. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Legal Momentum: What is Marriage Promotion". Legal Momentum. http://www.legalmomentum.org/our-work/sfr/what-is-marriage-promotion.html. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "Government Mandated Marriage Promotion". Alternatives to Marriage Project. http://www.unmarried.org/welfare.html. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
4. ^ ^{a b} "Marriage Promotion". Dollars and Sense. http://www.dollarsandsense.org/archives/2005/0105olson.html. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Nock, Steven L., Laura Ann Sanchez, and James D. Wright. Covenant Marriage: The Movement to Reclaim Tradition in America: Rutgers University Press, 2008. UNC-CH Online Library. Web. 8 Nov. 2009. <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/uncch/docDetail.action?docID=10275489>.
6. ^ ^{a b c d} "Marriage promotion: a simplistic fix?". American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep04/marriage.aspx. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
7. ^ Karen S. Peterson, Man Behind the Marriage Amendment, USA Today, US News, April 12, 2004