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The most common statistic cited regarding marriage and relationships in the United States is that the 50% of all marriages end in divorce. Another one that is gaining traction is that more Americans than ever before will end up unmarried and alone. 

Nobody likes these statistics. 

How did we get from the 60s, hairdos and stay at home moms, to a 50% divorce rate and a high probability of dying alone? Should we care? How do we balance the benefits of modernity – women in the workplace, higher incomes, more interesting jobs – with the benefits of structured families, love, and children? 

 Today, UVA Professor Brad Wilcox is here to explain to us how we can have both: better economic status and better family life. After all, the highest indicator of long-term happiness, meaning, and satisfaction is close relationships. He is the director of The National Marriage Project and the author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization. 

Want to explore more?

• Emily Oster on The Family Firm, an EconTalk podcast.
• Jessica Todd Parker on Beauty, Family, and Photography, an EconTalk podcast.
• Amy Willis, Could Too Much Division of Labor Be Bad? at Speaking of Smith.
• Erik Rostad, Friedrich Engels' The Origin of the Family, at Speaking of Smith.
• Patrick Fitzsimmons, Adam on Polygamy and Kin Networks, at AdamSmithWorks.

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