by F.R. Duplantier
You'd never know it from watching the television show of the same name, but being "married with children" is the happiest, healthiest, and most fulfilling lifestyle a person can have.
"Demographics show that the traditional ideal of marriage and the family -- the raising of children by a mother and a father who are married and live under the same roof -- is being overshadowed by alternative family forms," reports Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family. "Over the past 15 years," says Stanton, "the fastest growing family [trend] in the nation has been out-of-wedlock births, followed by the formation of stepfamilies. The third fastest growing trend has been divorce." These are the fruits of the sexual revolution, but freedom from commitment and responsibility has not brought the happiness promised. "Social science research consistently finds that, overall, both men and women do markedly better . . . when they are married," says Stanton. They lead healthier, happier, and longer lives.
"The empirical evidence falls overwhelmingly in favor of marriage and against all other alternative forms of family life," says Stanton. So, why aren't we being told of the manifold benefits of marriage? Stanton observes that, "even though there is a very strong consensus on this issue in the academic research community, most of the cultural institutions, the gatekeepers of opinions and ideas, have not been willing to make a considered and confirmed judgment on what is the best model for family life. They con-tinue to play the role of family relativists, trivializing marriage as an institution and championing the idea that one form of 'family' is just as good as another."
In other words, the average American's best opportunity for true happiness is being sacrificed on the altar of ideology. Stanton says it's time to fight back. "As a nation, we must reject the view that real happiness and well-being come to those who are 'free' and not tied down by the restraint of marriage," he argues. "We must develop a renewed appreciation for the richness marriage can offer . . . and stigmatize the intentional formation of alternative family forms."
An overwhelming case can be made for marriage. "We have the data showing marriage is superior," says Stanton. "We now need individuals and our cultural institutions -- business and industry, churches, educators, the media (especially Hollywood), and policy makers -- to speak with a unified voice on the value and virtue of marriage. The news media should report on these findings from the research community. Hollywood should begin to portray in movies and television those who are 'married with children' as having a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life. Family textbook publishers should start talking about marriage again and present the research showing its benefits. Business and industry can develop employment policies that encourage marriage and the family. Churches should speak with a moral voice for the idea and institution of marriage. . . . Legislators can develop policies that promote marriage and families, and eliminate policies that discourage marriage." Stanton predicts that "these actions will help restore a culture that values marriage."
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