The two-parent privilege: A conversation on the case for marriage

Featuring author Melissa Kearney and Jim Tankersley

Thursday, September 21, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. ET
The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Washington, D.C.

In recent years, marriage has declined across socioeconomic groups in America except among the most affluent. In a new book, “The Two-Parent Privilege: How Americans Stopped Getting Married and Started Falling Behind,” University of Maryland professor and Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Melissa Kearney examines the consequences of this changing landscape for the economic lives of families, children’s trajectories, and social inequality. She makes the economic case for revitalizing the institution of marriage as a path to securing a more equitable future for America’s children.

On September 21, the Brookings Center for Economic Security and Opportunity will host Kearney for a sit down with New York Times reporter Jim Tankersley to discuss this trend and ways we can combat its socioeconomic ramifications for families across the country.

Viewers can submit questions for Kearney by emailing events@brookings.edu or via Twitter with #TwoParentPrivilege.


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The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036

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