Volume 5 | May 2021
The National Center for Family & Marriage Research (NCFMR) was established in 2007 to help improve our understanding of how family structure is linked to the health and well-being of children, adults, families, and communities and to inform policy development and programmatic responses.
What's News at the NCFMR
Median Age at First Marriage for Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples
For more than a century, the U.S. Census Bureau has been providing estimates of the median age at first marriage separately for men and women. However, until recently it was not possible to consider the gender composition of the couples marrying. We find that newlywed men and women with same-sex spouses first married at later ages than their counterparts who married a different-sex spouse. For more details on the data used and the percentiles of ages of first marriage by couple type, check out our new Family Profile Median Age at First Marriage for Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples, 2019 (FP-21-11).
Age at First Marriage by Gender and Couple Type Among Householders & Spouses of Householders, 2019
Source: NCFMR analysis of U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2019
Note: We use the term sex rather than gender because the U.S. Census Bureau asks about sex of the respondent and their spouse/husband/wife.
Family Profiles

Original reports summarizing and analyzing nationally representative data with the goal to provide the latest analysis of U.S. families. These profiles examine topics related to the NCFMR's core research themes.
Median Age at First Marriage for Same-Sex and Different-Sex Couples, 2019
Median Age at First Marriage, 2019
NCFMR In the News

NCFMR research topics are wide-ranging and diverse. Our research projects that have garnered national media attention this past month are listed below.
  • North Bay, US divorces drop during pandemic
  • U.S. Census delay puts fair redistricting in jeopardy
  • Sex, age cause for diamond divorces
  • Marriages and divorces drop sharply in Kentucky during the COVID-19 pandemic
  • 'Gray divorce' becoming more common, shift in meaning of marriage may be factor
  • As the pandemic continues on, we are seeing some growing trends among divorces, including more people over the age of 50 splitting
  • Bill & Melinda Gates’ Split Shines Light on 'Gray Divorce' Trend Experts Think Pandemic Fuels     
  • 5 Most Expensive Divorce Settlements in History
  • Al igual que Bill y Melinda Gates, cada vez más estadounidenses mayores de 50 años deciden divorciarse
  • US birth rate falls to lowest point in nearly a century
  • US birth rate plunged in 2020
  • Why boomer divorces — like Bill and Melinda Gates — are soaring 
Fast Facts on American Families

NCFMR's Fast Facts collection provides descriptive one-page summaries of our most recent statistics by topic area.

Just Released
2021 N&N Calendar

Calendar of Events

June

74th Annual Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques Program -- Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
2021 Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques Diversity Fellowship Webinar
Program Dates: June 7- July 30

23rd Annual International Fatherhood Conference -- National Partnership for Community Leadership (NPCL) IFC 2021 Virtual Event
Mastering the Moment in Responsible Fatherhood and Fragile Families: Research, Policy, and Practice
Conference Dates: June 9-10

Early Bird Registration for the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) 2021 Annual Conference
Early Bird Registration Date: June 14
Conference Dates: November 2-5

Fragile Families Summer Data Workshop -- Columbia Population Research Center (CPRC)
Workshop Dates: June 14-18

National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) 2021 Family Life Education Summit
Early Bird Registration: June 18
Summit Date: June 25

PSID (Panel Study of Income Dynamics) Data User Training Workshop (All Virtual) -- ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research), University of Michigan
First Four-Week Session: June 21-July 16

Time Use Data for Health and Well Being Conference -- Maryland Population Research Center (MPRC)
Conference Dates: June 23-25

Call for Applications -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
Visiting Scholars Program
Applications Due: June 24


July

Save the Dates!
Russell Sage Foundation (RSF) Online Summer Institute for Journalists
Seminar Dates: July 13-15
More information forthcoming

Call for Applications -- 2021 MAST (Marriage Strengthening Research & Dissemination Center) Small Grant Program
Applications Due: July 15

PSID (Panel Study of Income Dynamics) Data User Training Workshop (All Virtual) -- ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research), University of Michigan
Second Four-Week Session: July 19-August 13

Call for Applications -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
Social, Political, Economic, and Psychological Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Applications Due: July 28


August

Call for Applications -- National Council on Family Relations
Editor of Journal of Family Theory & Review
Applications Due: August 1

2021 ASA Virtual Annual Meeting -- American Sociological Association (ASA)
Emancipatory Sociology: Rising to the Du Boisian Challenge
Annual Meeting Dates: August 6-10
NCFMR Team

Co-directors
Dr. Susan L. Brown
Dr. Wendy D. Manning

Social Science Data Analyst
Dr. Krista K. Payne

Technical Writer
Lesley Wadsworth

Graduate Research Assistants
Katherine Graham
Christopher Julian
Leslie Reynolds
Eric Sevareid