On August 26, 2017, Women’s Equality Day Turns 44. A fact sheet compiled for the Council on Contemporary Families by Nika Fate-Dixon and Stephanie Coontz, The Evergreen State College. Executive summary/advisory available. August 25, 2017 Ninety-seven years ago on Saturday, Congress certified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting American women the […]
Topics of Expertise: Division of Labor in Families / Gender & Sexuality / History & Trends on Gender, Marriage & Family Life / Work & FamilyBrief Reports
CCF BRIEF – A Reversal in Predictors of Sexual Frequency and Satisfaction in Marriage

A Reversal in Predictors of Sexual Frequency and Satisfaction in Marriage A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Sharon Sassler, Professor, Department of Policy Analysis & Management, Cornell University June 20, 2016 In the 1940s and 1950s, the consensus of the emerging profession of marital counseling was that marital happiness and […]
Topics of Expertise: Division of Labor in FamiliesCCF BRIEF: Parenting and Happiness in 22 Countries

Social Policies, Parenthood, and Happiness in 22 Countries A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Jennifer Glass, University of Texas; Robin Simon, Wake Forest University; and Matthew Andersson, Baylor University. This brief includes findings from an article in American Journal of Sociology. June 16, 2016 Many people now know that parents in the […]
Topics of Expertise: Parenthood: Motherhood/FatherhoodThe Way We Still Never Were: Another Quarter Century of Family Change and Diversity

The Way We Still Never Were: Another Quarter Century of Family Change and Diversity A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Stephanie Coontz, Director of Research and Public Education for the Council on Contemporary Families and professor of History and Family Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Editor’s […]
Topics of Expertise: History & Trends on Gender, Marriage & Family LifeIt’s Women’s History Month: Why is pay for caregiving work so low relative to other jobs with similarly low requirements for formal education?

It’s Women’s History Month: Why is pay for caregiving work so low relative to other jobs with similarly low requirements for formal education? A Briefing Paper Prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Paula England, Ph.D, Professor of Sociology and Director of Graduate Studies at New York University. March 15, 2016 Two […]
Topics of Expertise: Economic InequalityThe Date’s not Dead after all: New Findings on Hooking Up, Dating and Romantic Relationships in College

A Briefing Paper Prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Arielle Kuperberg, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Joseph E. Padgett, M.A., Doctoral Candidate in Sociology, University of South Carolina February 11, 2016 For more than 100 years, Valentine’s Day has been a time for romantic candlelit […]
Topics of Expertise: Gender & Sexuality / Singles & DatingWhat Helps Women Entrepreneurs Flourish?

What Helps Women Entrepreneurs Flourish? A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Sarah Thébaud, University of California at Santa Barbara November 5, 2015 Most Americans agree that entrepreneurship is an important component of economic growth and job creation. Small businesses accounted for two million new jobs last year, and innovative start-ups […]
Topics of Expertise: Labor & Workforce / Work & FamilyHealth Care Is a Family Stressor—So There’s Good News

September 16, 2015; The U.S. Census Bureau’s report on income, poverty and health insurance coverage, released today, reflects the continued uncertainty for U.S. families that has persisted since the Great Recession. Year-to-year changes in most trends were modest or not statistically significant—except in the case of health insurance coverage—but the longer-term trends are important. Specifically: […]
Topics of Expertise: Economic Inequality / Health CareWhat Happens When Couples Marry after the First Baby?

What Happens When Couples Marry after the First Baby? A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Kelly Musick, Cornell University and Katherine Michelmore, University of Michigan September 16, 2015 One of the consistent findings of sociological research in recent decades has been that couples who had a child before getting […]
Topics of Expertise: Cohabitation, Committed Relationships & Marriage / Couples Conflict, Separation & DivorceGender Revolution and the Restabilization of Family Life

Gender Revolution and the Restabilization of Family Life A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Frances Goldscheider, College Park Professor of Family Science, University of Maryland August 26 is Women’s Equality Day. Established in 1971, the day commemorates passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Division of Labor in Families / Parenthood: Motherhood/Fatherhood / Work & FamilyDating Partners Don’t Always Prefer “Their Own Kind”: Some Multiracial Daters Get Bonus Points in the Dating Game

Dating Partners Don’t Always Prefer “Their Own Kind”: Some Multiracial Daters Get Bonus Points in the Dating Game A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Celeste Curington, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Ken-Hou Lin, University of Texas at Austin, and Jennifer Lundquist, University of Massachusetts Amherst July 1, 2015 Despite growing approval of […]
Topics of Expertise: Biracial/ Multicultural Children and Interracial/ Multicultural Families / Race, Ethnicity & Culture / Singles & DatingRemarriage in the United States: If at first they don’t succeed, do most Americans “try, try again”?

Remarriage in the United States: If at first they don’t succeed, do most Americans “try, try again”? A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Wendy Manning, Bowling Green State University June 2, 2015 Wedding season is here again, and for many couples that is literally true. In 2013, 40 percent of […]
Topics of Expertise: Step-FamiliesThe Origin of Gender Inequalities in Dual-Earner, College Educated Couples: The Division of Labor at the Transition to Parenthood

The Origin of Gender Inequalities in Dual-Earner, College Educated Couples: The Division of Labor at the Transition to Parenthood A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families Online Symposium on Housework, Gender, and Parenthood by Jill Yavorsky, Claire Kamp Dush, and Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, The Ohio State University May 7, 2015 In a dramatic […]
The Continuing “Gender Revolution” in Housework and Care: Evidence from Long-term Time-use Trends

The Continuing “Gender Revolution” in Housework and Care: Evidence from Long-term Time-use Trends A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families Online Symposium on Housework, Gender, and Parenthood by Oriel Sullivan (University of Oxford), Jonathan Gershuny (University of Oxford) and John Robinson (University of Maryland) May 7, 2015 As women entered the paid […]
Topics of Expertise: Work & FamilyThe Complexities of Interpreting Changing Household Patterns

The Complexities of Interpreting Changing Household Patterns A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families Online Symposium on Housework, Gender, and Parenthood by Liana C. Sayer, University of Maryland May 7, 2015 Introduction. Despite substantial increases in married mothers’ employment and the expressed desire of the majority of women and men to share […]