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3:20 pm Symposia #3 Maxwell Auditorium, first floor Maxwell Hall The Future of the Family Questions (1) Family Change: How should public policy react to family change? Does sound public policy steer families into one format (e.g., promote marriage) or another, or should it be supportive of all types of families which emerge from social processes? Background: Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s last published work, Public Policy and the Future of the Family (with Tim Smeeding and Lee Rainwater; Russell Sage Foundation Press, 2004) suggests that the relationship between marriage and childbearing have fundamentally changed, not only in the United States but also in the Western world more generally. Out-of-wedlock childbirth, divorce, and the decision not to marry will affect children, parents, and later the aged, in ways we have not yet fully realized or prepared for. (2) Marriage and Child Rearing: Is marriage policy alone enough to support healthy marriages or is other social and economic help also needed? Background: Single or lone parent families have become an accepted form of family life, even if they have difficulty in achieving a middle class lifestyle. In response, the United States has this year begun a five year $1.4 billion “marriage initiative” effort to strengthen and promote marriage. While there is broad support for this initiative, critics wonder if marriage promotion alone is enough to help otherwise fragile families become stable and marry. Many argue that support for working unmarried parents (e.g., subsidized childcare; child support; paid family leave) should also be part of the foundation of a good marriage. (3) Population Aging and Family Structure Family structures are changing much more rapidly than are our family support institutions. Social Security was designed for a world where mothers stayed home, fathers worked, and marriages stayed in tact for decades. How should Social Security Reform address these family changes? Background: Daniel Patrick Moynihan was the co-chair of the 2001-2002 President’s Commission on Social Security Reform. As Moynihan was fully aware, we need to pay attention to the ways that the changing American family will affect the economic and social needs of the baby boomers in old age and as social insurance beneficiaries. If we are to provide for the needs of elders, survivors, and others who depend on Social Security, policies and institutions need to be changed to better accommodate 21st century elders. Current debates on Social Security reform and its impact on the family and on the social insurance function of Social Security will be folded into the presentation here. (4) Family Values: How can the needs of families and communities for security and stability be reconciled with a fast-changing economy that demands maximum flexibility in work hours and minimal labor costs? Background: The predicaments of today's families stem from two structural dilemmas: the need for market work by all adults and the demands it places on family life. The United States lags far behind other nations in such areas as public or employer subsidized high-quality childcare, paid family leave, and flexible work hours. How can the enduring human need for care and nurturance be reconciled with the passing of women's collective role as an unpaid labor force to supply those needs?