Category: Marriage/Family
Obergefell 10 years later: The cultural impact of same-sex marriage and where it stands
The United States Supreme Court on June 26, 2015, decided that every state is constitutionally required to perform and recognize same-sex civil marriages — a controversial ruling at the time that was followed by major shifts in cultural norms and public opinion. When the justices handed down the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling in a 5-4 decision, only 16 states had already enacted laws legalizing same-sex civil marriage. The practice, however, had been ongoing in 21 additional states because lower courts had ruled against most state-level bans prior to the Supreme Court ruling.
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Families play a key role in passing on religion—especially mothers
According to an international study by the University of Münster, the question of whether people become religious or non-religious at a time of religious decline in society depends very much on the family. “Our surveys and family interviews in Germany, Finland, Italy, Canada, and Hungary show that, in all countries, religion is passed on to the younger generation above all when the family cultivates a religious self-image, engages in joint religious practices such as prayer or singing, and when both parents belong to the same denomination—the most important role in religious socialization is played by mothers,” explain sociologists of religion Christel Gärtner, Linda Hennig, and Olaf Müller from the Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics,” the Center for Religion and Modernity (CRM), and the Institute of Sociology.
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How We Undermine Parents From Cradle to Grave
A few years ago, some friends of mine had their seventh child. At home. By themselves. No expert help. Things weren’t supposed to happen that way, but there was literally “no room at the inn” (hospital) when the time came for the baby to be born, and baby wasn’t about to be put on a waiting list. Ironically, the mother later described the situation as the best birthing experience she’d had. That’s surprising, considering she didn’t have a hospital bed, an epidural, high-tech equipment monitoring her vitals, or even a nurse to offer soothing words of comfort.
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European Union nations call for stricter limits on sperm donation
As increasingly more donor-conceived adults share the horrors of realizing they have high numbers of siblings, European Union (EU) ministers are calling for official action to be taken to put the fertility industry in check. EU ministers from Sweden and Belgium introduced a resolution calling for limits on the number of children a sperm donor can father, with four other countries thus far — France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Spain — joining in agreement. While some countries already have limits in place, loopholes can allow donors to continue fathering children; in the United Kingdom, for example, donors are limited to working with just 10 families. However, that applies only to families within the country, meaning the sperm can be exported to other countries without limit.
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5 Questions With Family Studies: Andrea Mrozek on Canada’s Crumbling Commitment Culture
Canada is a cautionary tale. So close in proximity to the United States, yet “light years ahead” when it comes to some of the public policy solutions championed but not implemented here: paid parental leave, universal child care, and generous welfare allowances. And yet these long-established programs have a patchy record on delivering on their intended consequences. To learn more about Canada’s family-related policies, we spoke with Andrea Mrozek, Senior Fellow at Cardus, a think tank located in Ottawa, Canada.
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60 missing children rescued in ‘most successful’ child recovery operation in Marshals Service history
A joint law enforcement effort resulted in the rescue of 60 “critical missing” children as part of Operation Dragon Eye in the Tampa Bay area, which officials say may be the most successful missing child recovery operation in American history.
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Warning: Not Having Children Can Rob You of Countless Joys
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, “There they go again.” Wednesday’s New York Times contains an essay and online video titled, “Motherhood Should Come With a Warning Label” – a piece highlighting reader feedback from women discussing their path to parenthood. As the Times regularly does, motherhood is presented in a somber and heavy-handed manner.
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Pew report: U.S. adults in their 20s and 30s plan to have fewer than 2 children
Pope Leo XIV has issued a fresh warning about the negative effects that artificial intelligence (AI) can have on the “intellectual and neurological development” of rising generations, along with a call to confront the “loss of the sense of the human” that societies are experiencing. “All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,” the Holy Father said in a Friday message to participants at the second annual Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Corporate Governance, held June 19–20 in Rome.
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New Scholarly Fatherhood Report Offers Important New Insights
An important new research report from politically diverse scholars working from seven leading universities and think tanks explores the importance of fathers for healthy child development. The report’s scope focuses on the state of Virginia, but its implications are applicable across the nation and the world. It documents important ways fathers matter for child and societal well-being. The report asserts, “A large body of research indicates that children who have the benefit of an engaged father are more likely to flourish.” And they flourish in every important measure of academic, physical, emotional and social well-being.
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Man with actual girlfriend and 2-year-old child proposes to AI bot
A 32-year-old man with an actual girlfriend with whom he has a two-year-old said in an interview that he proposed to his AI chatbot girlfriend. He used ChatGPT to program the bot, and cried when the AI ran out of memory, resetting the “relationship.”
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Young Americans Want Single-Family Homes
Americans on both sides of the aisle desire single-family housing. Our survey found a broad-spectrum rejection of apartment living across every single demographic group. When Americans envision their family life, the difference between 2 to 3 bedrooms is more important than: extra commute time, the difference between a townhouse and detached single-family home, and any size yard.
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Returning to Pioneer Values with Netflix’s ‘Little House’ Reboot
Netflix recently announced that work has officially begun on a reboot of Michael Landon’s classic “Little House on the Prairie” television series. Knowing how reboots and remakes play out these days, this childhood fan of the Ingalls family is a mite skeptical of the direction the new program will take. Speculation online suggests that the new show may be more true to the “Little House on the Prairie” books than the original television series was, however. If that’s the case, then Netflix just might have a winner, particularly if it stays true to the values advanced in the books.
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