The quiet truth about two-parent families

Imagine a key that opened the door to a place where children did better at school, were less likely to become dependent on drink or drugs, less likely to run into trouble with the police, and ended up in a better job. Now, imagine that key being jealously guarded by a group of well-heeled families. They hold on to it tightly, this elite, but never admit to doing so. At any mention of the key in public, they roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders: it’s nothing special, they pretend. 

Given the obvious unfairness, we would be within our rights to call out such outrageous behaviour, accusing these individuals of a heartless monopoly over what should be a common good. Except we don’t. Because the key to improving children’s lives is marriage, an institution few dare defend. 

Melissa Kearney is the economist who dares. Data-driven, evidence-laden, her new book, The Two Parent Privilege: How Americans stopped getting married and started falling behind, is shocking America’s liberals by making a number-crunching case for marriage.