FAMILY-FORWARD SOLUTIONS.
Filling the family policy void by providing evidence-based research, education, tools, and resources focused solely on the American family, from birth to beyond retirement.
The Center for the American Family (CAF) is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and strengthening American families.
Why family-forward?
The default design setting for programs and policies is for individual adults. Programs and policies labeled “family-friendly” often imply a tolerance and accommodation for families, but it is seen as bonus or supplemental to the default individual adult. Family-forward programs and policies not only support healthy and happy families, but also encourage and incentivize their flourishing–as a unit and as individuals.
Policies are rarely crafted with the holistic needs and productivity of a family in mind. Programs are often tailored to narrowly address a specific issue for individuals or households, assuming the family benefits will fall into place. Policymakers and leaders need to consider the full complexity of family functions and the multiple roles families play. A strength-based, family-centered approach addresses the needs, contributions, and impact across generations.
WHAT IF WE VALUED THE FAMILY AS THE
CRITICAL INDUSTRY
IT IS?
Families come in many forms.
families share common functions.
These functions are key inputs to a thriving economy.
THE FAMILY is the engine and origin of the american Economy.
Sources
Murdock, George Peter. (1949). Social Structure. New York: Free Press.
Becker, Gary S. (1981). A Treatise on the Family. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Folbre, Nancy. (1994). Who Pays for the Kids? Gender and the Structures of Constraint. New York: Routledge.
Coontz, Stephanie. (2005). Marriage, a History: From Obedience to Intimacy, or How Love Conquered Marriage. New York: Viking.