The Two-Parent Privilege

How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind

By: Melissa S. Kearney

Narrated by: Cait Raymond

In The Two-Parent Privilege, Melissa S. Kearney makes a 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 this trend can be reversed.

Kearney's research shows that a household that includes two married parents functions as an economic vehicle that advantages some children over others. For many, the two-parent home may be an old-fashioned symbol of the American dream. But this book makes it clear that marriage may be our best path to a more equitable future. By confronting the critical role that family makeup plays in shaping children's 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.

©2023 The University of Chicago (P)2024 Tantor

Where's the PDF of graphs?

This would be a 5 star if there was an accompanying PDF with the graphs and figures mentioned in the audiobook. So instead I am waiting for a hardcopy of the book from interlibrary loan (ILL) so I can listen again (the narrator does an excellent job) with the figures. Also there are some small areas where I want to see the data and look at her sources.

Topic

Author does an outstanding job of explaining and defining the issues at stake with children.

Two parents are better than one

Good overview of the ways that two parents, primarily a dad and mom, are better than one. Melissa does a great job expanding on this and evaluating on it with key insights and research. Check it out.

Excellent overview of the issue.

I think the author does a great job of doing a data driven analysis of the problem, and also given a good overview of the history of how it occurred. I have noticed similar things as an economist and discuss it in debt with other people, including sociologist psychologist and anthropologist as a PhD level mentor, I have mentored many many people over the years. The thing I have noticed so much the last 15 years is a few number of men I have encountered to mentor and the academic space. I have about a 4 to 1 ratio now of young women to young men. The young women are blowing the men out of water, and I have difficulty getting guys to do anything!.

Get the printed or ebook version!

This book which includes many, many references data charts and graphs that are in the print and e-book versions but are not available to the audiobook purchaser. There is a tried and true way to handle the issue (make available a downloadable PDF file of the charts and graphs), but the publisher does not do that. The result is the audiobook is useless.

The Two-Parent Privilege is an important book written by a very capable economist. I'm saddened to have to return it.