National Marriage Week USA began on February 7, 2018, and runs through Valentine’s Day on February 14. The national campaign aims to expand marriage education and champion marital success. It started as a grassroots effort in 2010.
Organizers point to the benefits of marriage. In their view, these include better health, more wealth and greater happiness for couples and their children. Executive Director Sheila Weber said the week is a good moment to talk about the decline of marriage in America. She also tied that decline to poverty. In her view, marriage is the most important social justice priority for cutting poverty.
The campaign backs that argument with an estimate from the Brookings Institution. If marriage rates today matched those of 1970, poverty would fall by 25 percent, according to that estimate.
Policy is part of the conversation as well. The release highlights a bipartisan Minnesota law that raised the poverty threshold. Thanks to that change, parents can keep receiving government benefits for 12 months after they marry.
Research released that week also showed the value of affordable weddings. Since many couples get engaged over the holidays and marry in June, the campaign is sharing videos and tips on low-cost wedding ideas.
The group also runs what it describes as the only online National Marriage Calendar. Organizers can list marriage classes and events there for free. Couples across the country can then use it to find something near them.
