Massachusetts Family Institute upholds the virtue and value of the natural two-parent, marriage-based family as the fundamental foundation of both society and civilization. MFI recognizes the union of one man and one woman as marriage and steadfastly maintains that no other relationship is legitimately a marriage. MFI also stands firm in the belief that marriage is to be a life-long commitment and that sexual intimacy should be confined within its bonds. At the end of the day, the health of our culture, its citizens and their children is intimately linked to the health and well-being of the institution of marriage.

Research continues to show that married men and women live longer, healthier and happier lives. On virtually every measure of health and well-being, married people are better off than otherwise similar singles or cohabitating adults. Social science has also continuously upheld a married mother and father as the optimal environment in which to raise children.

Children of parents who do not marry or stay married suffer from lower grade-point averages and run a higher risk of being kept back a grade or dropping out of school, while boys raised in fatherless households are two to three times more likely to end up in jail. Increased rates of drug and alcohol abuse and sexual promiscuity are also found in families with only one parent. MFI does recognize and salute the many single mothers and fathers who valiantly raise and support their children, nearly all of whom will tell you that they regret that the child’s other parent is not present in the home or more involved in their children’s lives.

Resources

Fatherlessness in MA project on the economic and social costs of unmarried and fatherless households

Marriage: Where Do We Go From Here? offers 6 ways to continue to defend natural marriage by the Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson

Less Marriage, More Inequality brief by Institute on Family Studies