Media Messages to Young Girls: Does “Sexy Girl” Trump “Girl Power”? A briefing paper prepared by Christia Spears Brown, University of Kentucky for the Council on Contemporary Families. September 3, 2020 Children face continued social isolation this fall, with 21 of the 25 largest school districts in the country choosing remote learning instead of in-person […]
Topics of Expertise: Children / Feminism & Families / Gender & Sexuality / History & Trends on Gender, Marriage & Family Life / Sexual Abuse & MisconductBrief Reports
“The Tool We Have”: Why Child Protective Services Investigates So Many Families and How Even Good Intentions Backfire

“The Tool We Have”: Why Child Protective Services Investigates So Many Families and How Even Good Intentions Backfire A briefing paper prepared by Kelley Fong (Georgia Institute of Technology) for the Council on Contemporary Families. August 11, 2020 In recent months, conversations around the role of the police have drawn mainstream attention to what contemporary […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Childcare (Providers & Systems) / Children / Domestic Violence & Child Abuse / Family Caregiving (for Adults, Children, and Disabilities)Before and during COVID-19: Telecommuting, Work-Family Conflict, and Gender Equality

Before and During COVID-19: Telecommuting, Work-Family Conflict, and Gender Equality A briefing paper prepared by Thomas Lyttelton (Yale Sociology), Emma Zang (Yale Sociology), and Kelly Musick (Cornell Policy Analysis and Management) for the Council on Contemporary Families. August 4, 2020 The puzzle. The COVID-19 crisis has resulted in an unprecedented shift to remote work, with […]
Topics of Expertise: Children / Division of Labor in Families / Family Caregiving (for Adults, Children, and Disabilities) / Gender & Sexuality / Parenthood: Motherhood/Fatherhood / Work & FamilyMen and Women Agree: During the COVID-19 Pandemic Men Are Doing More at Home

Men and Women Agree: During the COVID-19 Pandemic Men Are Doing More at Home. They Differ Over How Much, but in Most Households the Division of Housework and Childcare Has Become More Equal A briefing paper prepared by Daniel L. Carlson (University of Utah), Richard J. Petts (Ball State University), and Joanna R. Pepin (University […]
Topics of Expertise: Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Division of Labor in Families / Family Caregiving (for Adults, Children, and Disabilities) / Gender & Sexuality / History & Trends on Gender, Marriage & Family Life / Parenthood: Motherhood/Fatherhood / Work & FamilyChallenges Facing Cohabiting Couples Differ from those of Married Couples in this Crisis

Challenges Facing Cohabiting Couples Differ from those of Married Couples in this Crisis A briefing paper prepared by Amanda Miller, University of Indianapolis, and Sharon Sassler, Cornell University, for the Council on Contemporary Families. Much has been written about the challenges couples face as they adjust to “shelter in place” policies triggered by the coronavirus. […]
Topics of Expertise: Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Couples Conflict, Separation & Divorce / Division of Labor in Families / Domestic Violence & Child Abuse / Economic Inequality / Marriage & Divorce / Public Policy / Trauma and DisasterWhen “Helicopters” Go to School: Who Gets Rescued and Who Gets Left Behind?

When “Helicopters” Go to School: Who Gets Rescued and Who Gets Left Behind? A briefing paper prepared by Jessica McCrory Calarco, Indiana University, for the Council on Contemporary Families. We’ve all read about – and maybe even known – the “helicopter” parents who sweep into K-12 schools, demanding special treatment for their children, second-guessing teachers’ […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Children / Economic Inequality / Parenthood: Motherhood/FatherhoodHiring-related Discrimination: Sexist Beliefs and Expectations Hurt both Women’s and Men’s Career Options

Hiring-related Discrimination: Sexist Beliefs and Expectations Hurt both Women’s and Men’s Career Options A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Jill Yavorsky, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Organizational Science, University of North Carolina Charlotte January 16, 2019 Although many sexist prejudices have weakened over time, gender stereotypes still influence employers’ decisions […]
Topics of Expertise: Gender & Sexuality / Labor & Workforce / Work & FamilyThree Q: Per Coontz, Equality Is an agenda for all working people, not just feminists.

3q: Per Coontz, Equality is an Agenda for All Working People, Not Just Feminists Virginia Rutter interviews Stephanie Coontz on the new Council on Contemporary Families brief, Hiring-related Discrimination: Sexist Beliefs and Expectations Hurt both Women’s and Men’s Career Options, by Jill Yavorsky. VR: You edited Jill Yavorsky’s brief on hiring-related discrimination, where she reports […]
Topics of Expertise: Gender & Sexuality / Labor & Workforce / Work & FamilyFrom Countercultural Trend to Strategy for the Financially Insecure: Premarital Cohabitation and Premarital Cohabitors, 1956-2015

From Countercultural Trend to Strategy for the Financially Insecure: Premarital Cohabitation and Premarital Cohabitors, 1956-2015 A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Arielle Kuperberg, Associate Professor of Sociology and Women and Gender Studies, UNC Greensboro. October 9, 2018 In the early 1960s, fewer than 3 percent of women […]
3Q: Coontz, Cohabitation, and American Intimacy in Times of Escalating Inequality

3q: American Intimacy in a Time of Escalating Inequality A short interview with Stephanie Coontz by Virginia Rutter on a new CCF study. VR: You edited the new brief report on cohabitation trends from the Council on Contemporary Families. In it, Arielle Kuperberg reports that premarital cohabitation is more common—occurring before 70 percent […]
Same-Sex Couples Devote More Attention to End-of-Life Plans than Heterosexual Couples

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Mieke Beth Thomeer, Rachel Donnelly, Corinne Reczek, and Debra Umberson Introduction End-of-life planning enhances the quality of later-life caregiving, health, and death. Ideally, informal planning—conversation with loved ones about future care and end-of-life preferences—and formal planning—wills, […]
Topics of Expertise: Aging / Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Gender & Sexuality / LGBTQ Partnering & FamiliesTransgender Youth Allowed to Use Their Chosen Name Have Fewer Mental Health Problems

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Stephen T. Russell, Amanda M. Pollitt, Gu Li, and Arnold H. Grossman Introduction Transgender people-people whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth-are at higher risk of poor mental health than those […]
Topics of Expertise: Children / Gender & Sexuality / Health & IllnessWho Goes to Jail for Child Support Debt?

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Elizabeth Cozzolino Introduction Child support enforcement aims to increase child well-being by ensuring that noncustodial parents contribute to children’s material well-being. Yet owing child support debt puts nonresident parents at risk for going to jail, triggering potentially […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Childcare (Providers & Systems) / Children / Parenthood: Motherhood/FatherhoodCommunity College Students Want to Use More Effective Birth Control Methods But Can’t Always Get What They Want

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Kristine Hopkins, Celia Hubert, Kate Coleman-Minahan, Amanda Jean Stevenson, Kari White, Daniel Grossman, and Joseph E. Potter Introduction Female community college students who have a child while in college are 65% more likely to drop out […]
Topics of Expertise: Economic Inequality / Fertility,Reproduction & Sexual Health / Reproductive HealthThe Impact of Information about Abortion Safety on Texas Voters’ Opinions about Restrictive Laws

A Research Brief Prepared for the University of Texas at Austin Population Research Center Research Brief Series Kari White, Daniel Grossman, Amanda Jean Stevenson, Kristine Hopkins, and Joseph E. Potter Introduction A substantial gap exists between the scientific evidence demonstrating the safety of abortion in the United States and public opinion about abortion safety. […]
Topics of Expertise: Fertility,Reproduction & Sexual Health / Reproductive Health