National Campaign to Strengthen Marriages Starts February 7
National Marriage Week USA, a national movement to boost marriage rates and invest in marriages, today announced the launch of their 2022 campaign, which will run February 7-14th. Confronting the continued pressure placed on relationships by the pandemic, National Marriage Week is calling upon organizations and individuals around the country to strengthen local marriages through grassroots efforts.
Led by National Marriage Week’s new executive director, Erin Stevens, this year’s campaign combines a public education component, which promotes the beneficial impact of marriage in reducing poverty and improving outcomes for children, with grassroots marriage-strengthening events in local communities across the United States. Serving as a national clearinghouse for marriage events, National Marriage Week will direct couples to resources and opportunities to invest in and nourish their relationships.
Recent statistics show this is a critical time for the marriage-building movement. The decline in marriage rates to an all-time low, coupled with a rise in cohabitation, means that Americans are missing out on many of the substantial benefits of marriage. We are making progress as reflected in the falling divorce rate and the reversal of the decades-long rise in nonmarital childbearing, so we need to keep the movement going. National Marriage Week exists to spread the word that marriage is worth it: for both the health of adults and the wellbeing of children.
Research demonstrates that marriage is one of the best ways to increase happiness, decrease child poverty, and improve outcomes for children. Children raised in a two-parent home are 82% less likely to experience child poverty, addiction, trouble with the law, and teen pregnancy. Additionally, married adults are twice as likely to identify as “very happy” compared to divorced or never-married adults.
“Even though our society doesn’t always recognize it, marriage is extremely beneficial,” said NMW USA Executive Director Erin Stevens. “Creating and maintaining a strong marriage takes hard work, but it is worth the investment. We have loaded our website, marriageweek.org, with tools and opportunities from the best marriage-building organizations in the country.”
National Marriage Week USA released a toolkit with a list of trusted and proven resources for struggling marriages, a national calendar of marriage-bolstering events, and ideas for how to promote marriage in the local community.
“We invite marriage advocates to join us in spreading the word this February,” said Stevens. “Together, we can transform families and continue making progress toward creating a culture that recognizes the necessity of healthy marriages for a healthy society.”
For a complete list of resources to strengthen marriages in your community, visit www.MarriageWeek.org.
(SOURCE: National Marriage Week)
