What interests, if any, do you believe the state—that is, the government should have in promoting marriage? Why

Compose a brief essay of at least 400 words but no more than 600 words (not including your references list) on the following topic, referring to and critiquing relevant ideas from at least three of the Week 6 readings as you develop your thoughts: What interests, if any, do you believe the state—that is, the government (on all levels)—should have in promoting marriage? Why

Write in essay form (that is, in paragraphs, not in bullet points). Be as specific and precise as you can be. Use the Discussion Board Grading Rubric in the Assignments area to guide your thoughts on what constitutes a high-quality essay.

One result of the closure of the Federal Government is that government websites have been temporarily shut down. This means one of your Week 6 readings is not available. As a substitute, we have compiled a list of links that provide you with similar information. We would encourage you to scan the headlines, the graphs, and the opening sentences of each paragraph. Trends in Marriage, Births, Race and the evolving role of Women in U.S. Society: Single Mother trends discussion and impacts: http://singlemotherguide.com/single-mother-statistics/ Homepage: Pew Research Birthrates: http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/topics/birth-rate-and-fertility/ Declining U.S. birthrates http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/06/chart-of-the-week-big-drop-in-birth-rate-may-be-levelling-off/ Record Share of New Mothers are College Graduates http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/05/10/record-share-of-new-mothers-are-college-educated/ Falling rates of births to Teen Mothers http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/28/whats-behind-the-falling-teen-birth-rates/ Fertility Rates by Race http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/05/17/explaining-why-minority-births-now-outnumber-white-births/