Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Yay Obama!

As an undergraduate, I studied family life education, apart of which is marriage education. I worked as a research assistant on the National Healthy Marriage Resource Center where I summarized research studies on marriage as the optimal arrangement for children, men and women (see recent post: http://descentintomotherhood.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-is-govt-promoting-marriage.html).

In 2006, George W. Bush sponsored legislation that would promote and encourage marriage as that optimal arrangement. The Healthy Marriage Initiative was authorized under Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF/welfare funds).

Although the social science research is very clear (I recommend reading The Case for Marriage, 2001), I was worried that in a time of economic downturn and administration change that the funding to provide marriage education services would not be continued.

Today I learned that Barack Obama has been a firm supporter of marriage education efforts and plans to continue supporting the funding of such programs. On the Healthy Marriage Initiative homepage, there is a quote from his book The Audacity of Hope, 2006:

"...Finally, preliminary research shows that marriage educaton workshops can make a reall difference in helping married couples stay together and in encouraging unmarried couples who are living together form a more lasting bond. Expanding access to such services to low income couples, perhaps in concert with job training and placement, medical coverage, and other services already available should be something everybody can agree on..."


By placing that quote on the webpage, I am heartened that the research will continue to speak for itself and that programs and efforts to stablize American families will continue.

2 comments:

TopHat said...

I also read somewhere that the Obama's relationship is good for the country. We now have a presidential couple who outwardly love each other: they hold hands, he puts his arm around her, and they really look happy together. I think they're a great living example of a happy couple

Jenne said...

You are right. The marriage activist world is abuzz with their excitement that a healthy, happy and successful black marriage is being portrayed at the forefront of our country. Alot of my school discussed the state of marriage among blacks in America and the trends are not encouraging. The marriage activists hope that the Obama marriage will spark a comeback for marriage in the African American community as well as among all Americans.

I agree: there appears to be alot of love and mutual respect in their relationship and I think they are good examples of married love.