“Marriage is the unsung antipoverty program,” says Sheila Weber, Executive Director of National Marriage Week.

In the video above, citing Heritage Foundation research, Weber explains the connection between marriage and poverty: Marriage decreases the likelihood of child poverty by 82 percent. Weber also points out what numerous studies confirm: “Children perform better in school, have less trouble with the law, less teen pregnancy, and less addiction if they can be raised with both their parents.”

But with more than 40 percent of children born outside marriage today and only 45 percent of 17-year-olds having grown up in an intact family, fewer children are able to reap the benefits that a stable home provides.

Strengthening marriage means better outcomes for America’s children. It means a stronger future for the nation. Leaders at every level of society should seek to support and bolster this foundational institution.