The restoration America needs

There is an overwhelming need for the restoration of one-man/one-woman marriage. 

According to a February 2025 USA Facts (usafacts.org) article titled “How has marriage in the US changed over time?” married couples made up 78% of American households in 1949. At the same time, only about 2% of men and 2% of women had experienced a divorce. Fast-forward to 2022, when only 49% of households were led by married couples, and nearly 10% of men and women had experienced a divorce.

So, how do such changes impact individuals and society? 

The good

A Harvard Health writer published a 2016 article highlighting the “health advantages of marriage.” The article discussed why marriage tends to make people happier and healthier. Married people tend to live longer, have a lower chance of becoming depressed, and have fewer strokes and heart attacks – to name a few benefits. Another report, Marriage and the Economic Well-Being of Families with Children: A Review of the Literature, also reveals a better economic outcome for married couples.

While it is essential to note the benefits of marriage for both the man and the woman, we must not forget how marriage impacts children. A study titled Marriage and Child Well-Being: Research and Policy Perspectives compiled research about the benefits children receive from marriage. The study noted, “Children living with two biological married parents experience better educational, social, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes than other children, on average.” This means that marriage alone isn’t the difference maker; having both biological parents married and in the home is what makes the greatest impact. 

If marriage is proven to positively affect adults, children, and broader society, then the historical decline in marriage has undoubtedly had a negative effect.

The bad

In a 2016 article, writer Jesse Singal discussed how data collected from high school and college students since the 1930s has shown a steady increase in anxiety and depression among young people. According to a 2017 data brief from the National Center for Health Statistics, the use of medication to treat anxiety and depression has skyrocketed in recent decades. 

I believe America’s youth are suffering mentally and emotionally because their parents are less likely to get married and stay married. 

With the exception of 2006 and 2007, America’s birthrate has been below the 2.1 replacement level since the 1970s. This is undoubtedly related to the decline in marriage rates, as major studies, including findings reported by the Institute for Family Studies (2018), have attributed getting married to a higher likelihood of childbearing.

The answer

While some of these statistics might be shocking to hear, we shouldn’t be surprised. When a society rejects the Genesis mandate of marriage and multiplication, things will surely fall apart. There’s a reason that our Creator gave humanity a blueprint for flourishing. In the marriage-and-family realm, the biblical blueprint for flourishing is for a man and a woman to marry, bear children, and stay married, in this order.

As to the long-term solution, government policy must play a role. First, federal and state governments must legally establish one-man/one-woman marriages as the only government-sanctioned unions. 

Second, the government must teach the importance of marriage and childbearing by emphasizing what social scientists call the success sequence: education, employment, marriage, and then, children. 

Third, the economic and tax structure must heavily incentivize marriage and family and ensure that families can once again live on a single income, as was the case in earlier decades. This will allow mothers and fathers to devote more time to nurturing and developing their children.

If America can successfully rebuild the American family, it can achieve great things in the decades to come and experience another season of human flourishing.