Marriage Education

The decision to marry is a very personal one, but one of the most important decisions that individuals will ever make. Research shows that the vast majority of Arizonans desire happy, lasting marriages, whether rich or poor, male or female and regardless of cultural background. And there is ample evidence that individuals, as well as society at large, benefit when those citizens are able to maintain healthy marriages.

Research has identified marriage as impacting families in a number of ways:

Marriage is an Economic Issue
Research indicates that children living in married-couple households are less likely to be poor. Thirty-nine percent of Arizona’s children living in single parent homes are living below the poverty level, in comparison to 12% in married couple families.

Marriage is a Social Issue
In 1970, 68 percent of adults were married; currently only 55 percent are married. Although 50 percent of marriages end in divorce, nearly 80 percent of divorced individuals remarry. Marriage formation and marital stability remain fundamental building blocks for health communities.

Marriage is a Children’s Issue
The quality of the parental relationship has a direct and significant impact on the development of the children, married or not. All factors being equal, however, research clearly indicates that children fare better economically, emotionally and behaviorally, when raised in healthy two parent married households. For example, children who are raised by two parents are more likely to stay in school, less likely to become teen parents and less likely to engage in violent behavior.

Marriage is a Public Policy Issue
Government can help strengthen marriages by adopting the standard that all legislation and policies must "First, do no harm" to the integrity of marriages and families.

Our goal is to promote awareness about the importance of healthy marriages to the well being of children. Further, we seek to reduce the non-married birth rate and the divorce rate. We also seek to serve as an information and referral source for marriage preparation and intervention courses and relationship skill courses for teens