The Two-Parent Privilege

"'Kearney has written an extraordinary and deeply important book ... Highly recommended' - Tyler Cowen, George Mason University and author of Talent 'Kearney has written a courageous, persuasive and profoundly important book. Our children will be better off if her compelling analysis of the benefits of two-parent families is widely heard and acted on' - Lawrence H. Summers, Harvard Kennedy School 'The failure to speak honestly about how the decline in marriage is affecting both children and society is an issue Kearney addresses forthrightly in this fabulous book. Her analysis is trenchant, her common sense shines through, and her writing excels. This book may spark controversy, but in my view, it is right on the mark’ - Isabel Sawhill, senior fellow, Brookings Institution and author of Generation Unbound: Drifting into Sex and Parenthood without Marriage 'Among the many great advances that women have made since 1960, single-parenthood is not one of them. It's brutally challenging for mothers. It’s epidemic among the families who can least afford it. And it deprives children of the economic and emotional resources that foster success in adulthood. This candid book by a superb scholar sets aside judgments and bromides to confront the urgent question of how we can do better by our children' - David Autor, MIT and author of The Work of the Future ‘Melissa Kearney is the economist who dares … If we can keep reminding both high earners and low of the existence of the two-parent privilege, we may see a social revolution’ - Cristina Odone, Spectator 'Kearney argues that one can discuss the benefits of higher education without fear of blaming or shaming those without it. The same should go for the advantages of two-parent families' - Soumaya Keynes, Financial Times 'Anyone who doubts that the two-parent privilege exists should read Ms Kearney’s book' - The Economist ‘Many single parents are short of both money and time, and all too often their children are paying the price. In this superbly researched and engaging book, Melissa Kearney lays out the challenge that the inexorable rise in one-parent families brings about for social mobility and inequality. There are no easy solutions, least of all a return to a time when mothers had little economic independence and no way to escape from bad relationships. But Kearney argues persuasively that there are other options, and that if we care about social inequality, the ""two-parent privilege"" is too important to ignore’ - Matthias Doepke, Professor of Economics, LSE ‘The subject of the book is both complicated and important … Kearney has performed a great service by setting out the facts succinctly and clearly … well written and always interesting’ - William A. Allen, The Society of Professional Economists"