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Melissa S. Kearney

The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind Hardcover – September 18, 2023

by Melissa S. Kearney (Author)

4.3 154 ratings

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The surprising story of how declining marriage rates are driving many of the country’s biggest economic problems.

In The Two-Parent Privilege, Melissa S. Kearney makes a provocative, data-driven case for marriage by showing how the institution’s decline has led to a host of economic woes—problems that have fractured American society and rendered vulnerable populations even more vulnerable. Eschewing the religious and values-based arguments that have long dominated this conversation, Kearney shows how the greatest impacts of marriage are, in fact, economic: when two adults marry, their economic and household lives improve, offering a host of benefits not only for the married adults but for their children. Studies show that these effects are today starker, and more unevenly distributed, than ever before. Kearney examines the underlying causes of the marriage decline in the US and draws lessons for how the US can reverse this trend to ensure the country’s future prosperity.

Based on more than a decade of economic research, including her original work, Kearney shows that a household that includes two married parents—holding steady among upper-class adults, increasingly rare among most everyone else—functions as an economic vehicle that advantages some children over others. As these trends of marriage and class continue, the compounding effects on inequality and opportunity grow increasingly dire. Their effects include not just children’s behavioral and educational outcomes, but a surprisingly devastating effect on adult men, whose role in the workforce and society appears intractably damaged by the emerging economics of America’s new social norms.

For many, the two-parent home may be an old-fashioned symbol of the idyllic American dream. But The Two-Parent Privilege makes it clear that marriage, for all its challenges and faults, may be our best path to a more equitable future. By confronting the critical role that family makeup plays in shaping children’s lives and futures, Kearney offers a critical assessment of what a decline in marriage means for an economy and a society—and what we must do to change course.

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Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Chicago Press
Publication date

September 18, 2023
Dimensions

6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0226817784
ISBN-13

978-0226817781
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From the Publisher

Kearney Two-Parent Privilege

Kearney Two-Parent Privilege

Kearney Two-Parent Privilege

Editorial Reviews

Review

"More children live in single-parent households than ever before. In 2019, only a little more than half of US children lived with two parents, down from 80% in 1980. Drawing in part on her own studies, the economist Melissa Kearney has written a data-rich book that takes a close look at how deeply family structure influences both children’s current well-being and their future academic and career prospects." ― Wall Street Journal, Best Books of 2023

"Having two parents who are married to each other, Kearney argues, provides offspring with economic and social advantages. And by joining their particular strengths, a married couple can give their progeny more than the sum of their parts. She argues for policy changes that would scale up community-based programs that strengthen and increase economic support for low-income families and for a broader cultural push to recognize that when it comes to raising children, no other arrangement works quite as well as matrimony." ― New Yorker, Best Books of 2023

"An important book. . . . We liberals often perceive the world through prisms of privilege, but we rarely discuss one of the most important privileges of all — and it’s the title of Kearney’s book, The Two-Parent Privilege." -- Nicholas Kristof ― New York Times

“[Kearney] does not suggest, like some cultural critics before her, that the increase in out-of-wedlock birth rates is a signal of moral decline in America, or of a willfully individualistic flouting of tradition. Rather, she points to how the decline of manufacturing in the United States—and the rise of lower-paid, more precarious working conditions—has made it much harder for blue-collar males to sustain an adequate and reliable standard of living, rendering them less inclined to marry or to stay married, and less appealing as marriage material in the first place. In some of the most compelling passages in her book, Kearney explores research on the impact of financial strain on cognitive functioning; there’s evidence that the children of parents who are poorer and more consumed by stress may be shortchanged not only materially but emotionally.”

― New Yorker

“Kearney makes a compelling case that we should be concerned about the rising rate of single-parent households, at least from the perspective of child well-being. . . . Kearney’s proposals will be good not only for children but for parents as well."

― Wall Street Journal

“Kearney is more interested in whether the underlying causes of single parenthood can be fixed, so that more happy marriages are formed. She laments the long-term decline in the availability of good jobs for men without college education, which is thought to reduce the pool of ‘marriageable men’ and—consequently—present fathers. She also highlights that social norms now exert less pressure, even on parents in a healthy relationship, to live together. . . . Kearney concludes that both money and mores are needed for additional two-parent homes to form.” ― Economist

"Kearney, an economist at the University of Maryland, has amassed reams of evidence on the rise of single parenthood and the way it has put lower-income children at an even greater disadvantage to their high-income peers over the past four decades. Her book shows that marriage itself matters; it is not just a correlate of other factors, such as wealth and education." -- Annie Lowrey ― Atlantic

"A new book from a leading economist argues that two-parent households are essential for creating the hard-working, educated labor force that fuels long-term economic growth. . . . A top scholar of the economics of family structure, Kearney argues that the public discussion of these issues — especially in elite circles — tends to avoid this truth out of a desire to avoid stigmatizing single parents." ― Axios

"Kearney lays out the argument clearly and forcefully. There really is a two-parent privilege, in the sense that children of high socioeconomic status (SES) are much more likely to live with two parents than those of low SES. The children in one-parent households do substantially worse, on average, than those in two-parent households. . . . Kearney deserves applause for writing this book. We can bemoan the fact that talking about family upsets academics, but at the same time, we should admire the bravery of one who lays out the facts for an unsympathetic audience." ― Institute for Family Studies

"Economist Melissa Kearney, who has done America a great service by publishing The Two-Parent Privilege. . . . In terms of benefits to children, not all family configurations are the same. Throughout the book, Kearney posits the necessary caveat that no person should remain in an unhealthy or violent marriage, but she makes plain the case that a married, two-parent household is generally superior to alternative arrangements such as cohabitation and single parenthood."
― National Review

"In The Two-Parent Privilege, Melissa S Kearney emphasises that she is not trying to pass judgment or shame single parents. But she says we must discuss America’s striking rise in single parenthood, arguing that it is disadvantaging affected children, exacerbating inequality and leaving kids stuck in poverty. The figures set out in her book are stark." ― Financial Times

"Economist Melissa Kearney makes a convincing case that children who grow up in one-parent households are — on average — at a major economic disadvantage." ― Boston Globe

"The research enumerated in The Two-Parent Privilege enriches our understanding of working-class decline and, more broadly, the nation’s political and cultural polarization." ― City Journal

“Pathbreaking. . . . Kearney further argues that if we do not act to bridge the growing class divide in American family life and revive the fortunes of marriage, ‘our class gaps will widen, social mobility will erode, and the social cohesion of our country will be further undermined.’” -- Brad Wilcox, David Bass, and Derek Monson ― Deseret News

"The evidence is overwhelming that the decline of marriage over the past few decades has been very bad for children and, by extension, for society. For various reasons, however, this truth is too often left unsaid. In her new book,
The Two-Parent Privilege, University of Maryland economist Melissa S. Kearney lays out all the dispiriting facts."

-- Megan McArdle ― Washington Post

"Marriage is, writes University of Maryland economics professor Melissa S. Kearney, with clarifying bluntness, 'the most reliable institution for delivering a high level of resources and long-term stability to children.' She marshals the voluminous evidence in her new book, The Two-Parent Privilege.” -- Alyssa Rosenberg ― Washington Post

“The word ‘important’ is overused in describing books. Melissa Kearney’s The Two-Parent Privilege truly deserves to be called important. A thoughtful, non-judgmental account of the undesirable consequences of the decline in children being raised by married couples.” -- Jason Furman, Harvard University ― Goodreads

"The book argues that, when it comes to children’s welfare, there’s simply no better familial structure than a household with a mother and a father — or (statistics prove it’s true) two mothers or two fathers — who are present and able to bring all the benefits a parental dyad has to offer, especially when it comes to the avoidance of poverty. . . . We need to stop looking the other way or couching our thoughts in euphemism when it comes to the cost of single-parent homes. Our children, our communities and our nation deserve a big dose of compassion, some new ideas and straight talk around this issue." ― San Antonio Report

"The thrust of the book isn’t doomsaying or disapproval, and Kearney does not advocate a return to 'traditional' families with breadwinner fathers and homemaker mothers. Yet she doesn’t shy from reporting the 'substantial disadvantages' faced by children raised by single parents, including much harder roads to attaining higher education and earning a middle-class wage. If marriage increasingly becomes a luxury good, the inevitable consequence will be to deepen society’s divides and further encumber disadvantaged children." ― The 74

“If you care about the future of this country at all, you should buy [this book].” ― Washington Examiner

“It’s unfair to suggest, as many of Kearney’s critics have, that she is a scold. She’s not chastising single mothers. Her book overflows with sympathy for the difficulties of raising kids alone. If she’s scolding anyone it’s the educated class that has imposed omertà on the subject of family structure. Nor is she unaware that some marriages cannot be saved and that many kids raised by single parents turn out fine.” -- Mona Charen ― The Bulwark

“The failure to speak honestly about how the decline in marriage is affecting both children and the nation is an issue Kearney addresses forthrightly in this fabulous book. As usual, her analysis is trenchant, her common sense shines through, and her writing excels. This book may spark controversy, but in my view, it is right on the mark.” -- Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow, Brookings Institution and author of "Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage"

“Kearney has written an extraordinary and deeply important book. Any conversation about the major economic and social issues facing America today should start here. Highly recommended.” -- Tyler Cowen, George Mason University

“Kearney has written a courageous persuasive and profoundly important book. Our children will be better off, and our country will be stronger if her compelling analysis of the benefits of two-parent families is widely heard and acted on.” -- Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard Kennedy School

“Among the many great advances that American women have made since 1960, single-parenthood is not one of them. It's brutally challenging for mothers. It’s epidemic among the families who can least afford it. And it deprives children of the economic and emotional resources that foster success in adulthood. This candid book by a superb scholar sets aside judgments and bromides to confront the urgent question of how America can do better by its children.” -- David Autor, MIT

“If The Two-Parent Privilege can at least help relax the taboo against an honest accounting of family decline, it will be just as important a book as its blurbists claim.” -- Kay S. Hymowitz ― City Journal

“Many single parents are short of both money and time and all too often their children are paying the price. In this superbly researched and engaging book, Melissa Kearney lays out the challenge that the inexorable rise in one-parent families brings about social mobility and inequality. There are no easy solutions, least of all a return to a time when mothers had little economic independence and no way to escape from bad relationships. But Kearney argues persuasively that there are other options, and that if we care about social inequality, the `two-parent privilege’ is too important to ignore.”
-- Matthias Doepke, London School of Economics

"Kearney has written a solid synthesis of the extensive literature showing the clear advantages of marriage for adults and children. She emphasizes the economic advantages, from having more earners in a family to the efficiencies of dividing labor. . . . Recommended." ― Choice

About the Author

Melissa S. Kearney is the Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, Director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Some years ago, I was at a small two- day conference that brought together people from the academic and policy communities to talk about income inequality, economic mobility, and other related challenges facing the country. As is the case for many professions, being an academic economist involves going to lots of these types of conferences: traveling to a different city, attending a day of presentations and panels (often in windowless rooms), having a group dinner with other conference participants, and waking up early the next day to participate in another full day of sessions focused on a particular topic. People share their most recent research, discuss and debate ideas and evidence, make plans for additional research, and (in the best cases) inform the decisions of policy leaders with the kind of real- world evidence that economic data can provide. Then we go home, think about the new results we saw and the conversations we had, work some more, follow up with people we talked with, and repeat the process over again.
During this particular conference, we talked about the decline in US employment and widening income inequality. We talked about how the growing economic gap between America’s wealthy and poor was making it harder for Americans to achieve upward mobility— to live a life better than their parents did, economically speaking, and achieve the proverbial American dream. Over the course of the conference, the conversations focused on the usual topics that come up when economists talk about such things. We talked about gaps in pay between workers with and without college degrees. We talked about how technology and import competition disadvantaged certain groups of workers. We talked about the decline in union representation and the rise of CEO pay. We talked about the need for improved educational institutions and discussed ways to strengthen the safety net and reform the tax code.
During one of the later conference sessions, I raised my hand and asked a question that I’d been thinking about for a while: how should we think about the role of family and home environment in all this? If we are talking about how people perform in school and the labor market, isn’t the kind of household they grew up in an important determinant of that performance? There was quiet. After a few beats I continued talking, rattling off a few statistics and facts about class gaps in marriage and family structure, then suggesting that these class gaps should probably be part of our conversations about inequality and mobility. I pointed out that college- educated adults are more likely than non- college- educated adults to get married and to raise kids in two- parent homes. The resources of these homes (including money, but also time and energy in the challenging work of parenting) separated them from less educated adults and their children, who lacked such resource luxuries. The data suggest that these difference across households produce large economic differences in the lives of children. Don’t we need to contend with these facts? What should we make of them and what, if anything, should policy makers do about them?
This was not the first time I’d raised this issue of family structure among peers, but this was one of the largest audiences for it, and the group assembled extended beyond the usual group of scholars who study poverty, children, and families. My questions were received about as I expected them to be. As in earlier instances, this set of questions elicited a muted reaction— uncomfortable shifting in seats and facial expressions that conveyed reservations with this line of inquiry. The apparent consensus I took from the room, expressed through limited language and unencouraging gestures, was that family and marriage were personal matters and somewhat out of bounds for this type of discussion. While my colleagues were willing to grant the point that an increasing share of US children were living in single- parent homes and that this was much more common among less educated families— and that outcomes of children from single- parent homes tend to be worse than those of children from two- parent homes, for a variety of reasons— the implication was that we don’t really know what to do about it as a matter of policy. In my experience, people in these types of scholarly, policy- oriented settings are much more comfortable talking about the need to improve schools, expand college access, and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit than they are talking about family structure and how kids are raised. Don’t get me wrong; I think those other issues are important and I’m always up for talking about them. My point was simply that the absence of a discussion of family seemed conspicuous and counterproductive.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; First Edition (September 18, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226817784
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226817781
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.03 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #150,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Income Inequality
- #118 in Sociology of Marriage & Family (Books)
- #356 in Economic History (Books)

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4.3 154 ratings

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Melissa S. Kearney

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Melissa S. Kearney is the Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics at the University of Maryland, Director of Aspen Economic Strategy Group, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. She has published numerous academic articles and policy reports on US economic and social issues. She grew up in New Jersey, where she attended Montville Township High School, and subsequently earned a BA in Economics from Princeton University and a PhD in Economics from MIT. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children.

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"...It is a tightly-argued and intellectually humble work that makes a compelling case that family structure is something that all of us, in our..." Read more

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An Important Book

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2023

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The argument of this book is that marriage is an institution that more effectively delivers resources (broadly defined) to children than its alternatives. Thus, marriage has important consequences for children’s well-being. And that the emerging educational and class-divide in family structure is therefore a notable driver of economic and social inequality. Since the release of this book, a lot of the criticism I have seen of it comes from accusing it of being (or demanding that it to be) something that it is not meant to be.

First, it is not meant to be a work of moral philosophy or theology. To the extent that it necessarily draws on values, it deliberately limits itself to values that most people can agree upon. To accept her main arguments, you only need to accept one basic premise: it is better to have more resources than fewer. And most of the outcomes she looks at are commonly used to evaluate policies in the social sciences, such as income and educational attainment.

Dr. Kearney is a human and thus surely has her own opinions on the intrinsic or transcendent value of marriage as a moral and religious institution. But she is also keenly aware of the part of herself which provides the most value to the public discussion of marriage: she is a damn fine economist. Thus, she uses and draws on studies that use the analytical framework and tools that academic economists throughout the world use and accept. Relatedly, this is not a judgmental work that chides single mothers for their decisions. Rather, it is a work that is sympathetic and sharply draws attention to their difficult circumstances.

Second, it is not meant to be a comprehensive account of economic and social inequality in the United States. There are plenty of other books that try to be that. Rather, this book focuses on one key driver of inequality – family structure. It makes a compelling case that family structure in the United States has been changing in ways that are a key manifestation and cause of inequality. As a public-facing economist, Dr. Kearney has well-formulated opinions on other economic issues that she has expressed in other venues.

When this book is placed in proper perspective, readers can appreciate it for the wonderful achievement it is. It is a tightly-argued and intellectually humble work that makes a compelling case that family structure is something that all of us, in our respective public roles (policy-makers, opinion-makers, voters, and community members) should take very seriously when considering the well-being of children and the adults they eventually become.

A final note: Dr. Kearney has presented truncated and simplified versions of her argument in popular outlets such as the New York Times and the Atlantic. Obviously, she has the ability to be much more comprehensive and thorough in her arguments in the book-length treatment. If you think that her op-eds do not sufficiently address an obvious issue, I assure you that she is a careful and thorough scholar and urge you to read the book.

-John Soriano, Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Dallas

102 people found this helpful

Great discussion surrounding some uncomfortable facts

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2023

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I'll start by saying that I didn't agree with the entirety of the hypothesis and conclusions drawn by this book. That said, the data was often irrefutable, well researched, and presented in a very strait forward and relatable manner.

I'm not a person that is often fascinated by discussions involving economics, especially micro analysis bordering on a sociological perspective. But this book was engrossing. Mrs. Kearney has a very easy and approachable writing style that weaves the facts and narrative into a compelling read. I picked this up and barely put it down till it was finished.

A lot of thought provoking discussions and analysis to be had based on the evidence presented here, which, though they shouldn't come off as revolutionary, do unfortunately seem to run close to the boundary of what is "permissible thought" these days. Though, quite honestly, I find the summations here to be of great help to those arguments that aim to demystify, destigmatize, and promote meaningful measures of assistance to those individuals, especially children, who find themselves lagging further and further behind the idealized realization of the "American Middle Class".

Pick up a copy and you won't regret the time. 240 pages will breeze by in a moment.

7 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2024

Melissa Kearny raises some important issues regarding the importance of families in rearing children and the welfare of society at large. While I have some disagreement in her analysis and conclusions, I agree completely that children are more likely to thrive in a two parent family and that fathers and father figures are important for children, especially boys. I hope this book is widely read and discussed. Definitely worth reading.

Comprehensive, Packed with Data and Persuasive

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2023

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The book reinforced many things I have observed personally about the breakdown of personal relationships and poverty and the effect on children. It should be of great interest to anyone involved with public policy, as the book is packed with data. She is not a moralizer, but an economist, as well as a caring woman. And she's persuasive. The sections on improving the prospects for young men are very good. For the average person, I think recognizing the truth that the children raised by a loving married couple, on average, have a much better chance of success in life, should be internalized. If you doubt that is true, read the book (and look around). Understanding how important, how difficult and how expensive it is to raise children, and relaying that message to the younger generation is key. Encouraging younger folks to get married before having children is one important way to contribute to the very large social change that is needed in order to improve the happiness, health and wealth of our families, and our society. The more hands to share the work, the easier it is.

20 people found this helpful

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2023

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Not an easy read. Not for casual reading. This book is for professionals to read, more like a report.

2 people found this helpful

Fantastic. None of the one-stars even read it...

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2023

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It is tragic that people would dare to denigrate such a fantastic and important book with a review that begins, "I haven't read this book, and I'm not going to, but here's my hot take anyway."

Everyone should read this book. The author has done an incredible job of compiling the research and presenting her argument. What kind of vapid intellect does it take to simply dismiss without even *addressing her arguments?* It's very sad that the same people who might most benefit from such a rigorous study are the most likely to stick their fingers in their ears and dismiss it.

Anyway, if you've gotten this far, buy this, read it, and share it. This is among the most if not the most important subjects facing American society today and it should be discussed openly and honestly and driven by data.

32 people found this helpful

Top reviews from other countries

TB

Brilliantly written, thoroughly convincing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2023

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Brilliantly written, thoroughly convincing, and hopefully the start of a conversation that needs to be had. Melissa Kearney is a brave woman broaching a subject that many people would much rather avoid for fear of blowback. I do hope people listen to her.

David Maywald

An exceptional book with head and heart that deserves to be read widely

Reviewed in Australia on February 4, 2024

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Super impressive book, especially given how brave it is to print a mainstream book on this topic (similar to Richard Reeves with Of Boys and Men)… Kearney shows both heart and head, with a thoughtful treatment of the evidence as well as the social/economic issues.

“The conventional mores in the United States today are to treat matters of family and family formation with a dedicated agnosticism, avoiding any suggestion that one type of family might be somehow preferable to another family type… children’s outcomes in life are profoundly shaped by their family and home experiences. Children who have the benefit of two parents in their home tend to have more highly resourced, enriching, stable childhoods, and they consequently do better in school and have fewer behavioral challenges. These children go on to complete more years of education, earn more in the workforce, and have a greater likelihood of being married… This family gap contributes to class gaps in childhood resources, experiences, and outcomes… It perpetuates divisions that are causing fragmentation and fractures in society.”

“This book necessarily puts a spotlight on the role of marriage between parents and the benefits that institution brings to children – not as a religious or cultural institution but as a practical and economic one that makes the challenging work of raising kids less impossible. Marriage is the most reliable institution for delivery a high level of resources and long-term stability to children.”

“In 2019, almost half of all babies in the US were born to unmarried mothers. This figure represents a dramatic increase since 1960, when only 5% of births were to unmarried mothers.”

“We are living in a vicious cycle: the forces that have eroded the economic position of non-college-educated men are now having widespread, multifaceted effects on families and how children are raised. These affected children are straddled with disadvantages that make it harder for them to flourish.”

“The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Family Assistance currently funds dozens of grants to fatherhood and family programs through state and local governments and community-based organizations. This federal office also maintains the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (available on the internet at www.fatherhood.gov) as a federally funded national resource for fathers, practitioners, programs, state governments, and others “interested in supporting strong fathers and families.””

Her policy recommendations are to:
- Work to restore and foster a norm of two-parent homes for children
- Work to improve the economic position of men without a college level of education so they are more reliable marriage partners and fathers
- Scale up government and community programs that show promise in strengthening families and improving outcomes for parents and children from disadvantaged backgrounds
- Have a stronger safety net for families, regardless of family structure

This is an exceptional, modern, comprehensive, and compelling book that deserves to be widely read…

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