News and Events

Maureen talks with host Krys Boyd to discuss “the working conditions of parents who must return to work weeks after giving birth and the challenges they face raising healthy children.”

Family formation has long been touted as a source of racial inequality, but what does the research actually say?

Through their fantastic research on American families, these scholars are already having quite the impact on their fields. Congratulations to all!

Dr. Coleman takes part in a discussion on parental estrangement for The Atlantic. Listen here: How to Start Over: Parents Are Not All Good and All Bad

It turns out there is a big difference between dividing up the tasks so that each partner does different ones versus sharing or alternating the same tasks, so that partners contribute equally to each.

AUSTIN, TX – April 25, 2022 In a new briefing paper released today from the Council on Contemporary Families, “Mine and Yours, or Ours: Are All Egalitarian Relationships Equal?”, family […]

New rankings from Academic Influence rank CCF Director of Research and Public Education Stephanie Coontz as the 18th most influential woman historian of the last 10 years. Congratulations, Stephanie!

The CCF Scholars Early Career Program offers a unique professional development and mentorship opportunity to early-career scholars conducting research on American families. Applications due April 8, 2022.

A new brief report authored by CCF Experts Jennifer Glass and Joanna Pepin was featured in Deseret News and MarketWatch this week. The brief centers around their recent study which […]

Click here to listen to WPR’s episode “Why aren’t more younger people getting married?”

A new study estimates that about 70% of U.S. moms can expect to be primary financial providers before their children turn 18.

CCF Experts Joanna Pepin, Daniel Carlson, Kathleen Gerson, Philip Cohen, and Barbara Risman discuss which policies would be most beneficial to American families.

Read their thoughts on how housing instability impacts children in “Why pausing evictions likely won’t help kids harmed by housing uncertainty and instability”

Stephanie Coontz presented the State of Women’s Rights at Legacy Washington’s 2019 “Ahead of the Curve” event. Watch her talk here!

Read more about why mothers need continuous care even after children are born

A new study explores how behaviors once seen as maladaptive may actually protect youth.

Read more here: https://www.wunc.org/2021-04-12/what-would-you-do-without-student-debt-a-study-from-unc-greensboro-put-the-question-to-recent-graduates/ Also, check out this feature in Rutgers-Camden News Now: https://news.camden.rutgers.edu/2021/04/additional-student-loan-debt-cancellations-needed-says-sociologist/

For Immediate Release CONTACT: Arielle Kuperberg / UNC Greensboro / atkuperb@uncg.edu March 24, 2021, Austin Texas In the past 30 years, the percentage of students at 4-year colleges who take […]

Despite the important temporary relief provided to many families by the March 2020 CARES Act, millions of American families are experiencing financial hardship as we enter the new year.

Read his thoughts in his new essay for Aeon, “Modern culture blames parents for forces beyond their control“

See what author Gracie Staples has to say aobut CCF expert Christia Spears Brown’s new brief report.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kristi Williams / The Ohio State University / ccf@osu.edu Do the Media’s “Sexy Girl” Messages Trump Their “Girl Power” Ones? On average, children in elementary school […]

Children face continued social isolation this fall, with 21 of the 25 largest school districts in the country choosing remote learning instead of in-person classes.

Read her op-ed in the Chicago Tribune: “A new Works Progress Administration could create ‘learning pods’ for all schoolchildren.“

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State Sociology vrutter@gmail.com What’s the Role of Child Protective Services? New Study Points to Parallels with Policing Each year, U.S. child protection […]

Telecommuting Gets Mixed Results for Gender Equity at Home, and Women Are More Depressed.

Before and During COVID-19: Telecommuting, Work-Family Conflict, and Gender Equality A briefing paper prepared by Thomas Lyttelton (Yale Sociology), Emma Zang (Yale Sociology), and Kelly Musick (Cornell Policy Analysis and […]

“Legacy Washington recently recorded an interview with author/historian Stephanie Coontz. Watch Legacy Washington historian Bob Young interview Coontz, an expert on family and marriage whose writing influenced the U.S. Supreme […]

Although children appear to be less vulnerable than adults to serious COVID-19 medical complications, new data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that they are disproportionately endangered by the pandemic’s economic toll.

CCF MEDIA BRIEF – JULY 16, 2020 CCF EXPERTS IN THE NEWS: Coronavirus Is Killing the Working Mother ‘I can’t keep this up much longer’: Parents struggle with pandemic strain […]

Parents often rely on their networks for child care, but how has that changed since COVID-19? CCF’s Executive Director Jennifer Glass has some thoughts in The Christian Science Monitor’s “‘I […]

CCF experts Dan Carlson, Richard Petts, and Joanna Pepin discuss the findings of their latest brief report on gendered division of labor during the covid-19 pandemic with Deseret News’ Lois M. […]

Read her thoughts on the challenges mothers are facing in “Coronavirus Is Killing the Working Mother”

The Marriage Strengthening Research & Dissemination Center (MAST) recently released a new research brief, “Trends in Relationship Formation and Stability in the United States: Dating, Cohabitation, Marriage, and Divorce.” Co-authored […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State Sociology vrutter@gmail.com Men pick up (some) of the slack at home: New national survey on the pandemic at home For many […]

A briefing paper prepared by Daniel L. Carlson (University of Utah), Richard J. Petts (Ball State University), and Joanna R. Pepin (University of Buffalo – SUNY) for the Council on […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State Sociology vrutter@gmail.com Cohabiting in the Time of Covid19: The good, the bad, and the need for support Eighteen million people in […]

A briefing paper prepared by Amanda Miller, University of Indianapolis, and Sharon Sassler, Cornell University, for the Council on Contemporary Families. Much has been written about the challenges couples face […]

Are you having trouble convincing your family to take COVID-19 seriously? CCF senior fellow Joshua Coleman has some advice! Read his thoughts in The Atlantic’s “What Do You Tell Someone […]

CCF MEDIA BRIEF – MARCH 4, 2020 NEW FROM CFF: When “Helicopters” Go to School: Who Gets Rescued and Who Gets Left Behind? CCF EXPERTS IN THE NEWS: Parents need […]

When “Helicopters” Go to School: Who Gets Rescued and Who Gets Left Behind? A briefing paper prepared by Jessica McCrory Calarco, Indiana University, for the Council on Contemporary Families. We’ve […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State Sociology vrutter@gmail.com Uber-rich parents and their fixers may be just the tip of the iceberg. Turns out it’s hard for teachers […]

Listen here to see what CCF President of the Board Kristi Williams had to say about romantic love and the modern American marriage on WHYY Philadelphia’s “Solitude and the creative life”. […]

Five years after marriage equality, CCF Director of Research and Public Education Stephanie Coontz asks: What can different-sex couples learn from same-sex couples? Featuring research by CCF experts Joanna Pepin, Dan […]

CCF MEDIA BRIEF – FEBRUARY 19, 2020 CCF EXPERTS IN THE NEWS: How to Make Your Marriage Gayer Don’t Marry a Man Who Doesn’t Vacuum 6 signs you’re pushing away […]

Council on Contemporary Families Honors USA Today for Outstanding Media Coverage of Family Issues (2020) Austin, TX–The Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) is pleased to present its Fourteenth Annual Media […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Sociology @ Framingham State Universityvrutter@gmail.com How Can Colleges Define Consent and Reduce Unwanted Sex? No easy answers here. CCF’s Online Symposium, Defining Consent, takes […]

In a recent article for the New York Times, CCF Director of Research and Public Education Stephanie Coontz discusses the potential implications of paying stay-at-home parents, a role most often […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Barbara J. Risman / Sociology @ University of Illinois at Chicago brisman@uic.edu *Press advisory prepared for CCF by Barbara J. Risman, College of Liberal Arts & […]

A new profile from The Seattle Times takes a look at the life and career of CCF Director of Research and Public Education Stephanie Coontz. From her involvement in the Seattle […]

In her Op-Ed for NBC News, CCF Director of Research and Public Education Stephanie Coontz writes about the origins of gendered wedding traditions and possible implications for marital satisfaction. Coontz […]

For Mother’s Day, the Population Reference Bureau released a report on time use patterns of married, cohabiting and single mothers based on research by CCF Member Joanna Pepin. This researched […]

   Council on Contemporary Families 2020 Media Awards for Outstanding Coverage of Family Issues The Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) announces the opening of nominations for its Fourteenth Annual Media Awards competition. We honor […]

Submissions for the 2020 CCF Media Awards are now CLOSED Deadline for submission: December 15, 2019 Read more about the award here  

Barbara Risman, President of CCF, receives the 2019 Distinguished Lectureship Award from the Southern Sociological Society! This award honors a record of excellence as a scholar and lecturer. It was […]

Jennifer Glass, Executive Director of CCF, receives the 2019 Harriet B. Presser Award offered by the Population Association of America! This award honors a record of sustained research contributions to […]

JSTOR looks beyond the hype to examine what the “sex recession” is and whether we should be concerned about it. Several CCF experts weighed in on why the fear of […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Sociology @ Framingham State University vrutter@gmail.com Sociologist Jill Yavorsky conducted a field audit on gender discrimination in hiring and shares this early exclusive […]

In a new opinion piece for CNN, CCF Expert Philip Cohen reflects on the divorce of Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos and sheds light on the burden divorce places on regular […]

According to The Deseret News, CCF experts played a big role in shaping what we learned about the family in 2018 (“Here are 10 things studies taught us about the […]

CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Sociology @ Framingham State University vrutter@gmail.com Who Cohabits? Evidence about wealth and religion tells a changing story Sociologist Arielle Kuperberg conducted new data analysis exclusively for […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Sociology @ Framingham State University vrutter@gmail.com Gender Matters in Every Aspect of Our Lives – and what you need to know to keep […]

In her piece for Harvard Business Review, CCF Director of Research and Public Education, Stephanie Coontz, writes about a pernicious form of nostalgia – a collective nostalgia that involves people […]

New research by CCF Board Member, Arielle Kuperberg, published with CCF Member Alicia Walker in the Archives of Sexual Behavior examines heterosexual college students who hook up with same-sex partners. This […]

New research by CCF members Daniel Carlson and David Cotter is featured in the Deseret News. Carlson and Cotter presented two new reports to CCF about gender differences in household […]

In an opinion piece for the New York Times, CCF Director of Research and Public Education Stephanie Coontz writes about the importance of cultivating “the skills of successful singlehood.” These […]

CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State University Sociology vrutter@gmail.com   CCF Press Advisory In Time to Join #MeToo, Research Highlights Men’s Growing Support for Gender Equality   April 3, 2018, […]

Not All Housework is Created Equal: Particular Housework Tasks and Couples’ Relationship Quality A brief report prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Dan Carlson, Assistant Professor, Family and […]

Patterns of Progress? Changes in Gender Ideology 1977-2016 A briefing paper prepared for The Council on Contemporary Families by David A. Cotter, Department of Sociology, Union College, cotterd@union.edu. April 3, […]

CCF releases the 7th Edition of Unconventional Wisdom, highlighting new and under-reported research on creating and conceiving families in the 21st Century.   AUSTIN, TX/March 1, 2018 — In preparation […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 14, 2018 CONTACT: Christie Boxer, cboxer@adrian.edu Council on Contemporary Families Honors Nina Martin (ProPublica) for Outstanding Media Coverage of Family Issues (2018) Austin, TX–The Council […]

Have you read an outstanding news story that covers family-related topics in a particularly insightful way? Have you circulated thought-provoking articles in your Family, Gender, or other social science courses, […]

Submit Your Nomination for the 2018 CCF Media Awards! [contact-form to=”cboxer@adrian.edu” subject=”CCF Media Award Nominations”][contact-field label=”Your Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Your Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Your Nominee” type=”text” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Relevant materials (website, […]

SAVE THE DATE:  March 2, 2018 for “Conceiving American Families in the 21st Century: Reproductive Policies, Practices and Technologies” DoubleTree Hotel, Austin, Texas   Mark your calendars now and join the Council […]

The third week of September is Unmarried and Single Americans week. In a new opinion piece for CNN, CCF Director of Research Stephanie Coontz reflects on the changes in perceptions, […]

CCF PRESS ADVISORY: Reminder – Marriage is No Longer the Mode   September 14, 2017, Austin, TX: The week of September 17-23 is Unmarried and Single Americans Week. In honor […]

ADVISORY: Women’s Equality Day Turns 44. Gains, stalls, and setbacks   August 25, 2017, Austin, TX: Since 1973, August 26th has been designated as Women’s Equality Day, offering a chance […]

In a letter to The Wall Street Journal, Ivanka Trump defended the Trump administration’s proposed family leave program, stating that it is not an “entitlement” program, but an “investment” in […]

       Council on Contemporary Families 2018 Media Awards for Outstanding Coverage of Family Issues The Council on Contemporary Families (CCF) announces the opening of nominations for its Thirteenth Annual Media Awards competition. We honor […]

CCF President Barbara Risman weighs in on recent findings that millennials want more traditional gender roles at home in a recent article in the GoodCall. Despite these findings, Risman says […]

CCF members Daniel Carlson and Amanda Miller respond to new research on declining sexual frequency among American couples. In their Op-ed, they debunk four common myths about couples’ sex lives, […]

Michelle Janning’s recent release, The Stuff of Family Life, offers a timely look at how modern society and technology shapes our relationships and our lives. Like an archaeologist studying ancient […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State University Sociology / vrutter@gmail.com Gender, Politics, and Millennials? Research to sort out a hot mess. CCF’s Gender and Millennials Online Symposium […]

AUSTIN, Texas — Black Americans are more likely than whites to experience the loss of a parent during childhood and to be exposed to multiple close family member deaths by […]

CCF Board Secretary, Kristi Williams, joined All Sides with Ann Fisher to discuss the links between marriage and health in an episode of Wellness Wednesday entitled: Marriage, Prescribing Opioids, Caring for Cancer Patients. This […]

In a new piece for the Conversation, CCF Member Lynn Prince Cooke takes a look back at the history of chauvinism since World War II in order to contextualize the […]

In Why the ‘ethnic’ aisle is merging with the ‘beauty’ one Kristal Brent Zook explains the significance behind the maintstreaming of the black hair care industry.

CCF Board member, Joshua Coleman, was cited in an article for the Wall Street Journal exploring gender differences in the experience of depression: In Men, Depression is Different, by Elizabeth […]

In Issue No. 4 of Berggruen Insights, Stephanie Coontz, CCF’s Director of Research, applies her well honed skills at deconstructing nostalgia to reveal the very real injuries endured by white […]

Jane Clayson conducts an in-depth interview with CCF Executive Director Jennifer Glass on the findings and implications of her recent cross cultural study on the happiness gap between parent and non-parents. Check […]

CCF Director Jennifer Glass‘s briefing on the parental happiness gap in 22 countries received wide coverage in the news and social media. The report identifies policies that have contributed to […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State University Sociology vrutter@gmail.com / 206 375 4139 Sharing is Sexy: The research is in on gender and sexual satisfaction for today’s […]

A Reversal in Predictors of Sexual Frequency and Satisfaction in Marriage A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Sharon Sassler, Professor, Department of Policy Analysis & […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Virginia Rutter / Framingham State University Sociology vrutter@gmail.com / 206 375 4139 Parents’ Happiness Deficit: Must Parents Sacrifice Happiness for Meaning?  AUSTIN TX, June 16, 2016—Over […]

Social Policies, Parenthood, and Happiness in 22 Countries A briefing paper prepared for the Council on Contemporary Families by Jennifer Glass, University of Texas; Robin Simon, Wake Forest University; and […]

In a Washington Post article, “Young people now more likely to live with parents than partners“, CCF Board Member and Director of Research Stephanie Coontz comments on the positive aspects […]

CCF members Heather Boushey, Stephanie Coontz, and Nancy Folbre join other prominent feminists in reflecting on the significance of Anne-Marie Slaughter’s Unfinished Business: Women, Men, Work, Family for Short Takes: Provocations on Public Feminism, […]

CCF Briefing 1.  U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High 2.  Menstruation Joins the Economic Conversation 3.  Periods in Space Are Not That Different, Though a Bit More Complicated […]

San Antonio Spur David West gave a shout out to Stephanie Coontz’s work in a profile of the athlete, “How David West improved as an NBA player and a person”, in […]

At the End of Life, Too Few Words The Sexual Politics of 2016 The rise of the ‘gentleman’s A’ and the GPA arms race Shut Up About Harvard The Way […]