The family has always been and continues to be the building block of a healthy, productive society. Today, the traditional family is under attack in mainstream society. Below you will find informative studies, newspaper articles and unique Wisconsin Family Council findings that point to the continued importance of the traditional family here in Wisconsin and across the country.

Marriage and Parenting...

"Marriage could be tool against child poverty"
Column by Patrick McIlheran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (February 7, 2008)

Wisconsin's Marriage Protection Amendment—One Year After Passage, a WFC article on the meaning of the Marriage Protection Amendment and challenges to it. (November 2007)

"Marriage and the Law: A Statement of Principles" from The Institute For American Values
This “Call to the Nation” stems in part from several consultations on marriage and
the law held at the Harvard Law School in 2004 and 2005.

"Marriage in America: A Report to the Nation" by the Council on Families in America
The promises of the divorce revolution proved empty, its consequences devastating for both adults and children. It is time to shift the focus of national attention from divorce to marriage.

"What is Marriage For?" by Maggie Gallagher
As a practically universal human idea, marriage is about regulating the reproduction of children, families, society. While marriage systems differ, marriage across societies is a public sexual union that creates kinship obligations and sharing of resources between men, women, and the children their sexual union may produce.

"Rites, Rights and Social Institutions: Why and How Should the Law Support Marriage?" by Maggie Gallagher
Before we can evaluate specific legal proposals, we need a theory of the relationship between marriage and the law.

"Can Married Parents Prevent Crime?" by The Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
Recent research on family structure and delinquency in children from 2000-2005.

"Do Moms and Dads Matter? Evidence from the Social Sciences on Family Structure and the Best Interests of the Child," by Maggie Galagher and Josha K. Baker
In a legal system where “the best interests of the child” is the preeminent standard for a variety of family law issues, including both adoption placements and child custody determinations, evidence from the social sciences on child well-being is having an increasingly significant impact in both law and culture.

"The Marriage Movement: A Statement of Principles" from The Institute For American Values
This Statement stems in part from a consultation of marriage leaders held in New York City on January 24-25, 2000.

"The Denial: Downplaying the Consequences of Family Structure for Children," by Norval Glenn and Thomas Sylvester
A discussion of the common arguments employed by authors of articles who took relatively sanguine views toward unwed childbearing and divorce.

"The Shift," by Norval Glenn and Thomas Sylvester
Scholarly Views of Family Structure and its Effects on Children from 1977-2002.

"Closed Hearts, Closed Minds: The Textbook Story of Marriage," by Norval Glenn
What are we teaching the next generation about marriage?

Divorce...

"Does Divorce Make People Happy? Findings from a Study of Unhappy Marriages"
Does divorce typically make adults happier than staying in an unhappy marriage?
Many Americans assume so. This study represents the first serious effort to investigate this assumption empirically.

"Fault Enforces Accountability," by Harvey L. Golden & J. Michael Taylor
The following article is remarkably candid about no-fault's flaws. When you realize that this article was written by the then-chairman of the ABA's Family Law Section, there is a cognitive disconnect because, every day, members of the bar represent clients under the no-fault regime.

"How America can end its Divorce Epidemic," by David Kupelian
David Kupelian is vice president and managing editor of WorldNetDaily.com and Whistleblower
magazine, and author of the book, "The Marketing of Evil: How Radicals, Elitists, and Pseudo-Experts Sell Us Corruption Disguised as Freedom."

"Is There Really a Fatherhood Crisis?" by Stephen Baskerville
In this essay, Baskerville identifies the root causes of the "fatherless epidemic" in America.

"The Moral Experience of Children of Divorce and the Best Interests of Children," by Elizabeth Marquardt
Taken from Marquardt's presentation to the Rockland County, NY Bar Association in 2003. Marquardt addresses the effects of divorce on children and the role of the courts in protecting the best interests of our children.

"The No-Blame Game: Why No-Fault Divorce Is Our Most Dangerous Social Experiment," by Stephen Baskerville
Baskerville is a political scientist at Howard University. In this essay he highlights the problems of no-fault divorce.