The Left’s Family Problem: Marriage and Kids Cratering Among Liberal Young Adults
Since the 1980s, marriage rates have declined for both conservatives and liberals. But the declines have been greater among liberals, for both men and women.
“The Decline in Marriage and Childbearing Among Progressives.” Institute for Family Studies, 24 November 2025, https://ifstudies.org/blog/the-lefts-family-problem-marriage-and-kids-cratering-among-liberal-young-adults. Accessed 11 December 2025.
By Brad Wilcox and Grant Bailey, November 24, 2025
The Left has a family problem—actually, multiple family problems. Progressive messaging that devalues, denies, and deconstructs the value of family life and celebrates solo living in recent years is leaving its mark on the hearts, minds, and lives of young liberals. After being sold various messages that include, “Married heterosexual motherhood in America… is a game no one wins” (in The New York Times), or “Divorce led me to my happily ever after” (in The Washington Post), or “Women who Stay Single and Don’t Have Kids are Getting Richer” (in Bloomberg), or “Why Are Many Single Women Without Children So Happy?” (in Psychology Today), too many young adults, especially young women on the Left, now view marriage and family as not for them or, at least, not their top priority…Read more.
