Marriage Works!

On the way over to a friends who recently got married and bought a townhouse me the wife and the baby (temporarily holding that title) saw a billboard that surprised us. It was a picture of a black man and woman dressed like they’d just been married with big letters beside them that read “Marriage Works”. I let out a verbal, you got that right and we kept it moving. When I got back home I wanted to find out what was behind this ad campaign. (The image above is of a similar billboard but our’s just had marriage works.) This is what I came up with. The group behind it is Campaign For Our Children and here is what they had to say:

“A bold new program targeting the attitudes of teens aged 15 to 19, aimed at promoting one of the world’s most cherished institutions: marriage. The campaign’s core message is a practical, added-value approach that can be summed up in just two words: Marriage Works. Research suggests that children do best when two parents who have a healthy marriage raise them. Assisting teenagers to reach adulthood before childbearing would help more children grow up in families with healthy marriages – and improve the well being of their children. Visit http://www.marriageworksusa.com/ to learn more and support this effort.”

Here are some things they came up with on their website:

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  • Married people earn and save more money
  • Kids of married parents do better in school
  • Married people enjoy better health
  • Married people make better parents
  • Kids of married parents do better economically
  • Kids of married parents are more likely to have long-lasting marriages
  • Married people live longer
  • Married people have lower rates of substance abuse
  • Married people are happier
  • Married people spend half as much time in hospitals
  • Married people live more stable, secure lives.
  • Married people live more active lifestyles.
  • Married women experience lower rates of domestic violence.
  • Married people have better mental health.
  • Boys raised by married parents are less likely to commit crimes.

About the author

Lamar and Ronnie Tyler are the creators of the award-winning blog BlackandMarriedWithKids.com . They also are behind the Amazon.com bestselling DVDs Happily Ever After: A Positive Image of Black Marriage, You Saved Me and Men Ain’t Boys that explores manhood in the African American community. The Tylers are also the proud parents of four children.

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