The Center for Public Justice (or CPJ) describes itself as “an independent, nonpartisan organization devoted to policy research and civic education. Working outside the familiar categories of right and left, conservative and liberal, CPJ seeks to help citizens and public officeholders achieve justice.” Last year, CPJ launched the Families Valued initiative, a project that promotes organizational and public policies that better support family life and respect the family responsibilities of all workers.
In this collaboration between The Vernacular Podcast Network and The Center for Public Justice, we’re teaming up with the people behind the Families Valued initiative to talk about the struggles that modern families face and to learn how we can better support families through private enterprise, charitable initiatives, and public policy.
Supporting today’s families is a bipartisan imperative.According to 2018 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans are waiting longer than ever to get married, yet delaying marriage has done nothing to drive down divorce rates. As marriage rates have declined over the past three decades, divorce rates have steadily risen. And while marriages face challenges of permanence, married couples are having fewer children. In a 2013 survey by Pew, only 49% of people listed “having kids” as a main reason for getting married; a summer 2018 Pew survey found that 71% of parents under 50described themselves as “not likely” to have kids or more kids.
And yet, despite these symptoms of pressure, today’s families overwhelmingly describe family as the primary source of meaning in their life. In a 2017 survey, 69% of adults listed family as a source of meaning in their life--more than double the amount of the next highest answer--career. This is why it’s important for us to find ways to support families. We shouldn’t have an economy that makes it necessary for 82% of parents to work outside of the home. We shouldn’t have to fight for paid parental leave at a majority of private companies. And we shouldn’t make quality healthcare a luxury that parents can’t afford for their children. We need churches, employers, community organizations, courts, and legislatures to support the family at all stages of life. And that’s why we’re happy to announce this collaboration with CPJ’s Families Valued initiative.
For more information or to join the discussion, reach out to us at zacandsally@vernacularpodcast.com, head tovernacularpodcast.com, or visit familiesvalued.org
Our music: “Laugh and Cry” by The Mini Vandals (intro); “Heroine Queen” by Hallows (outro)
