By Deborah Carr, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Sociology Rutgers University Kristen W. Springer, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Sociology Rutgers University The holiday season is one of the most festive times of the year. But the joys of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Eve have a dark side: the physical toll that comes from unhealthy […]
Topics of Expertise: Family Counseling, Therapy & Parenting Intervention / Health & Illness
Single Americans are 43% of the population-up from 28% 40 years ago. Single Americans are healthier and happier than ever before-and they are more likely than married Americans to help, encourage, and socialize with friends and neighbors, and to visit, contact, and help out their parents and siblings. In preparation for national Unmarried and Single Americans Week, psychologist and CCF Fellow Bella DePaulo explores myths and realities about the diverse lives of unmarried Americans. DePaulo, who researches the changing roles and status of the unmarried, argues that the persistent belief that single people are lonely and miserable just isn’t supported by the facts. In her CCF Fact Sheet, DePaulo provides data that shows that singles are not only happier and healthier than many other Americans but also make important contributions to our society.
To understand why changes in singlehood have occurred and how families and individuals have changed the way they organize their lives and their relationships, CCF also provides a list of scholars who can discuss issues ranging from extended family care to single parenting, safe sex, and legal and adoption issues.
Topics of Expertise: Singles & Dating
Over the last 30 years the Latino/Hispanic population in the United States has grown seven times faster than the population of the nation as a whole. Hispanics currently represent almost 15 percent of the U.S. population and within the next two decades are expected to constitute a full quarter of Americans. Although often treated as a monolithic ethnic group, Latina/os differ in their racial and ethnic identities, religious beliefs, health status, socioeconomic status, and language patterns. Lumping ALL these groups under the rubric of “Latino” or “Hispanic” masks important demographic and socioeconomic differences and perpetuates negative stereotypes.
Topics of Expertise: Immigrant, Mixed Status & Transnational Families / Latino Families / Race, Ethnicity & Culture
It’s hard to know just how many stepmothers there are, because census figures don’t count stepmothers who don’t live in the same house with their children. In addition, stepmothers are not always made by an official marriage. Today many divorced parents live together without getting re-married. And of course, many lesbian couples include a stepchild and stepmother: When women make commitments to other women they become stepmothers to other women’s children too.
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare
What do you plan to give your valentine this February 14 – a bouquet of flowers, a heart-shaped box of chocolates, a candlelit dinner? Have you considered the gift that keeps on giving — a sexually transmitted infection? STD’s have reached an all time high, mostly because they are being talked about much less. Sexually […]
Topics of Expertise: Fertility,Reproduction & Sexual Health / Health & Illness / Reproductive HealthValerie Adrian Research Intern Council on Contemporary Families Stephanie Coontz Professor of History and Family Studies The Evergreen State College Here’s a thought for a Mother’s Day gift that would go beyond the complimentary flowers passed out by restaurants and the complementary speeches churned out by politicians every May: Affordable child care that is […]
Topics of Expertise: Child Welfare / Childcare (Providers & Systems)
By Gary Gates Senior Research Fellow The Williams Institute UCLA School of Law gates@law.ucla.edu; 310.825.1868 The New York Court of Appeals ruled this morning that the state Constitution does not guarantee a right to marriage for same-sex couples, and that state lawmakers, not the courts, are better suited to consider the issue,” reports The New […]
Topics of Expertise: Gender & Sexuality / LGBTQ Partnering & Families
The new HBO television show, “Big Love,” has led many people to contact the Council on Contemporary Families for background on polygamy. Historian Stephanie Coontz, Director of Research and Public Education at the Council, has put together background information on polygamy through this fact sheet.
