An Economic Perspective on Sex, Marriage, and the Family in Contemporary United States

Robert Michael

No 404, Working Papers from Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago

Abstract: It is a popular activity among public intellectuals to speak about the demise of the family and the decline in marriage as a social institution. No knowledgeable observer would argue that there are no major social ills associated with the functioning of the American family. Consider children: many children are being reared in sub-optimal settings, many without proper nurturance or even proper nourishment, and too many are abused or harmed physically and psychologically while many more are not given the support and encouragement needed to develop their potential. Or for that matter consider adults: many are living in poverty, even by the poorly measured statistics of the day, and disquietingly many have skill levels inadequate to the demands of meaningful jobs and thus lack the capacity to earn an adequate living in our technologically advanced economy.

Keywords: sex; marriage; family (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004-02
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