Volume 09 | September 2020
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
A Century of Change in the U.S. Divorce Rate
Over the course of the 20th century, the U.S. divorce rate has increased overall, although it has been decreasing since its peak in 1980. Using National Vital Statistics, Decennial Census, and American Community Survey data, we chart women’s divorce rate (defined as number of divorces per 1,000 currently married women) from 1900 to 2018. The divorce rate rose nearly four-fold from 1900 (4.1) to 2018 (15.7), reaching an apex of 22.6 in 1980. To learn more about the change in women’s divorce rate during the 20th century, see our profile Divorce: More than a Century of Change, 1900-2018 (FP-20-21).
Women's Divorce Rate, 1900-2018
women's divorce rate
Sources: NCFMR analyses of data from the National Vital Statistics, CDC/NCHS, 1900-2000; U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Decennial Census; U.S. Census Bureau (IPUMS), American Community Survey, 2010 and 2018 (IPUMS). Note: Data for Alaska begin in 1959. Data for Hawaii begin in 1960.
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.

Marriage: More than a Century of Change, 1900-2018
Divorce: More than a Century of Change, 1900-2018
Widowhood: Decades of Change, 1940-2018
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.

BGSU sociologist helps state health agencies crunch the numbers
Five Tips for Surviving Grey Divorce in Retirement
Statewide Survey Helps Improve Healthcare for Ohioans
Grandparents Embrace Bigger Caregiving Role
Fast Facts

NCFMR's Fast Facts on American Families collection provides descriptive one-page summaries of our most recent statistics by topic area.
Just Released
Articles

Richard A.Settersten, et al., Elsevier
Books

Abigail Gewirtz, Workman

David J. Harding & Heather M. Harris, Russell Sage Foundation

James A. McCann & Michael Jones-Correa, Russell Sage Foundation
Reports and Briefs

Center on the Developing Child Harvard University

Child Trends

IPUMS

Marriage Strengthening Research and Dissemination Center (MAST)

National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)

National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)

National Research on Hispanic Children and Families

Calendar of Events
October

Call for Applications -- National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Honors Student Recognition Program
Applications Due: October 1

Webinar -- National Council on Family Relations (NCFR)
How Do I Communicate My Research Through Public Scholarship?
Webinar Date: October 1

Call for Submissions -- National Council on Family Relations NCFR Report Spring 2021
Mending Relationships
Proposals Due: October 9
Articles Due: November 15

Society of Family Planning Annual Meeting
Meeting Dates: October 9 - 10

Call for Papers -- Virtual Applied Demography Conference
Submissions Due: October 12
Conference Dates: February 2 - 4, 2021

2020 Request for Pilot Proposals -- Network on Life Course Health Dynamics and Disparities in 21st Century America
Proposals Due: October 12

Call for Abstract Submissions -- Eastern Sociological Society (ESS)
The Diversity and Its Discontents in the Wake of Covid-19
Abstracts Due: October 15
Conference Dates: February 18 - 21, 2021

Live Webinar -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
Holding Fast: Resilience and Civic Engagement Among Latino Immigrants
Webinar Date: October 15

28th Annual Symposium on Family Issues -- Penn State
Causes and Consequences of Parent-Child Separations: Pathways to Resilience
Conference Dates: October 26 - 27


November

Request for Articles -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
The Social and Political Impact of COVID-19 in the United States
Articles Due: November 3

Pipeline Grants Competition -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
Applications Due: November 4

Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Annual Scientific Meeting Online
Turning 75: Why Age Matters
Annual Meeting Dates: November 4 - 7

Call for Papers -- Midwest Sociological Society
Precarity and Inequality: COVID-19, Neoliberalism and the Future of Faculty
Papers Due: November 6
Conference Dates: March 18 - 21, 2021

2020 Call for Research Proposals -- The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
Proposals Due: November 9

Call for Applications -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
Social, Political, Economic, and Psychological Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Applications Due: November 11

2020 National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Virtual Conference Registration
Family Expansions, Expanding Families: Contouring Family Science’s Negative Spaces
Conference Dates: November 11 - 13

Free Virtual Mentoring Event -- Marriage Strengthening Research Dissemination Center (MAST) and National Council on Family Relations
Networking for Emerging Scholars: A Conversation with HMRE Researchers and Practitioners
Networking Date: November 12


December

Call for Manuscripts -- National Council on Family Relations Family Science Review (FSR)
Pedagogy in the Wake of a Pandemic
Date Due: December 1

Call for Proposals -- Southern Demographic Association
Special Population Research and Policy Review (PRPR) Issue
Proposals Due -- December 1

Call for Submissions -- National Council on Family Relations NCFR Report Summer 2021 Issue
Recovering from COVID-19
Proposals Due: December 1
Articles Due: January 15, 2020

Request for Articles -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF)
Suburban Inequality in the United States
Articles Due: December 7

Call for Papers -- Russell Sage Foundation (RSF) Early-Career Behavioral Economics Conference (ECBE)
Papers Due: December 15
Conference Dates: June 3 - 4, 2021
NCFMR Team

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

Social Science Data Analysts
Dr. Krista K. Payne

Technical Writer
Lesley Wadsworth

Graduate Research Assistants
Lindsey Aldrich
Lisa Carlson
Leslie Reynolds
Eric Sevareid