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Director's Thoughts

Building on The Doha Declaration

By Richard G. Wilkins
Managing Director
The Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development
Doha, Qatar

With surprising frequency, sociologists have noted that the long-established and natural institutions of marriage, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood provide the optimal environment for the social, economic, cultural and personal development of men, women - and in particular - children. Members of divergent faith communities have also discovered that, however different their doctrinal beliefs, they share common understandings related to marriage, parenthood and childhood.1 From these voices, an unusual international coalition of scholars, religious communities and ordinary citizens has formed to protect and defend the family.

The 2004 Doha International Conference on the Family galvanized this coalition with the adoption of The Doha Declaration2, a remarkable document that reaffirms the original international understanding that marriage and family life are fundamental and "natural" relationships.3 At the conclusion of the 2004 Conference, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned, Consort of His Highness the Emir of Qatar and President of Qatar Foundation, announced the establishment of an international family policy institute that would explore, study and implement the norms and calls for action set out in The Doha Declaration. This commitment became a reality in May 2006 with the establishment of The Doha International Institute for Family Studies and Development (FSD). The Doha Declaration, and the establishment of FSD, will energize a broad range of international stakeholders to take a new look at how best to strengthen the family and promote sound, sustainable social and economic development.

Strengthening the family at local, regional and international levels can materially enhance the happiness and well-being of individuals, as well as the social and economic development of communities, nations and the world. Whether the measure used is physical and mental health, educational achievement, economic success, alcoholism and substance abuse, or average life expectancy, substantial sociological data suggest that stable, natural marital unions promote the health, safety and social progress of women, men and children.4

Not every family (particularly through the generations) will be fortunate enough to be founded upon stable, natural marital unions - and in some circumstances, such as marriages involving serious forms of abuse, marital dissolution may be wise. But, despite deviations and human failures, the model itself (as shown by the course of history and current research) is the surest recipe for personal and social progress. Moreover, the negative consequences of departing from the model are particularly acute for women and children.5

Article 16(3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - reaffirmed by The Doha Declaration - embodies fundamental truths that, for too long, have not been given their deserved attention and respect: "the family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the state.6 "As reflected in these precise and elegant words, the family is not merely a construct of the human imagination. The family has a profoundly important connection to nature. This connection begins with the realities of reproduction, but extends to the forces that shape civilization itself. It encompasses, among other things, the positive personal, social, cultural and economic outcomes which current research suggests flow from a man learning to live with a woman (and a woman learning to live with a man) in a committed marital relationship. The family, in short, is the "natural and fundamental group unit of society" precisely because the survival of society depends upon the positive outcomes derived from the natural union of a man and a woman.7

The Doha International Conference for the Family laid a much-needed foundation for future cooperative efforts by governments, non-governmental organizations, research institutions, academicians, faith communities and members of civil society. FSD will build upon this foundation by bringing scholars, experts, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and members of civil society together to research - and develop practical and effective programs to assist, strengthen and protect - society's most basic institution: the family

There is an astonishing amount of work to do. But no one should be discouraged. The Doha Declaration and Her Highness Shekha Mozah's establishment of FSD provide clear hope that cultures around the world can link arms to build productive and peaceful societies one family at a time.

  1. The Blessed Qur'an states that "Allah has made for you mates from yourselves and made for you out of them, children and grandchildren." The Qur'an, Al-Nahl (Sura 16:72). The Bible, in the second chapter of Genesis, reflects the same truth: "And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone." The Holy Bible, Genesis 2:17. The profound importance of the family unit is recognized in The Torah and explained in the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church. The Torah, Bereishis 2:18 (explaining that man was not intended to live alone, but to marry); Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2207 (1994).

  2. Letter dated 7 December 2004 from the Charge' d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary General, A/59/599 (December 8, 2004) at Appendix A (Doha Declaration).

  3. Ibid.

  4. See STEVEN L. NOCK, MARRIAGE IN MEN'S LIVES 11 (1998). "Married people are generally healthier; they live longer, earn more, have better mental health and better sex lives, and are happier than their unmarried counterparts. Furthermore, married individuals have lower rates of suicide, fatal accidents, acute and chronic illnesses, alcoholism, and depression than other people." Id. at 3.

    Marriage is the ultimate social bond that can be formed between a man and woman because [b]y their marriages, husbands and wives accept an obligation to be faithful, to give and receive help in times of sickness, and to endure hardships. Not everyone will be able to remain true to such vows. However, it is more difficult for a married than for an unmarried person to break such promises because they are part of our laws, religions, and definitions of morality. Others have taken identical vows throughout history. Collectively, society enforces these ideals both formally and informally. Nothing can be said about any other type of intimate relationship between two adults.
    Id. at 4.

    It should come as little surprise, then, that this ancient social union has particular (and unique) social value. This unique social value, moreover, does not flow from some natural selection process in which healthy, strong, bright, and charismatic people are the most likely to marry and, therefore, the most likely to benefit from the union. "Married people do not simply appear to be better off than unmarried people; rather, marriage changes people in ways that produce such benefits." See id. at 3 (emphasis in original) (citing R.H. Coombs, Marital Status and Personal Well-Being: A Literature Review, 40 FAMILY RELATIONS 97-102 (1991)); see also Walter R. Gove et al., The Effect of Marriage on the Well-Being of Adults, 11 JOURNAL OF FAMILY ISSUES 4, 25 (1990) ("[T]he evidence suggests that [the link between individual benefits and marriage] is not primarily due to particularly competent and healthy persons being more likely to marry and stay married but instead is primarily due to the effect of the marital relationship on individuals").

    Studies consistently show that children in an intact natural family are significantly less likely to drop out of high school than children in a one parent family. See Linda J. Waite, Does Marriage Matter?, 32 DEMOGRAPHY 483, 494 (1995). In some studies, the likelihood of dropping out more than doubles for children in single-parent households. See id. at 494. Importantly, Waite notes that the statistics regarding the likelihood of dropping out of school for children of single-parent households, "take into account differences in a number of characteristics that affect educational attainment," thus accentuating the accuracy of the statistics' indications. Children of non-traditional families are also more likely to have lower grades and other measures of academic achievement. See Paul R. Amato, Children of Divorce in the 1990s: An update of the Amato and Keith (1991) Meta-Analysis 15 JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY, 355-370 (2001); See also William H. Jeynes, The Effects of Several of the Most Common Family Structures on the Academic Achievement of Eighth Graders, 30 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY REVIEW 73-97 (2001). Finally, children of divorced parents are more likely to have lower occupational status and earnings and have increased rates of unemployment. See generally Catherine E. Ross & John Mirowsky, Parental Divorce, Life-Course Disruption, and Adult Depression, 61 JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY (1999).

    Studies show that children raised outside marriage are more likely to be raised in poor economic conditions. See Waite, above, at 494. Even after controlling for race and family backgrounds, children raised outside of marriage suffer not only from economic deprivations, but also from a lack of parental attention and from high rates of residential relocation, all of which can work to disadvantage the child's development. See Pamela J. Smock, et al., The Effect of Marriage and Divorce on Women's Economic Well-Being, 64 AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL REVIEW, 794-812 (1999); See also Teresa A. Mauldin, Women Men and the Economic Consequences of Divorce: Evidence from Canadian Longitudinal Data, 30 CANADIAN REVIEW OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY, 205 (1990)(finding that the presence of two parents potentially means more parental supervision and more parental time helping with homework).

    Adolescents with married parents are least likely to use marijuana, cocaine, or smoke cigarettes. Patrick Fagan et al., THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MARRIAGE: A BOOK OF CHARTS, at 35-36, 38 (The Heritage Foundation, 2002). Children with non-traditional family structures are twice as likely to use marijuana or cocaine and are 30 percent more likely to have experimented with cigarettes than children with two biological parents. Id.

  5. There is
    [m]uch . . . debate about the growing gap between rich and poor. . . . Analysis of social science literature demonstrates that the root cause of poverty and income disparity is linked undeniably to the presence or absence of marriage. A broken family earns less and experiences lower levels of educational achievement. Worse, it passes the prospect of meager incomes and family instability on to their children, making the effects inter-generational.
    Patrick Fagan, How Broken Families Rob Children of Their Chances for Future Prosperity, The Heritage Foundation, BACKGROUNDER, No. 1283, June 11, 1999, available at http://www.heritage.org/library/backgrounder/bg1283.html.

    Research has documented that natural family structures benefit nearly every aspect of children's well-being. This includes greater educational opportunities, better emotional and physical health, less substance abuse, and lower incidences of early sexual activity for girls, and less delinquency for boys. In the United States, 50% of children who live with a single mother live in poverty; by contrast, only 10% of children residing in two-parent homes live below the poverty level. Craig H. Hart, Ph.D., Combating the Myth that Parent's Don't Matter, at http://www.worldcongress.org/gen99_speakers/gen99_hart.htm (Nov. 1999) (paper presented at the World Congress of Families II, Geneva, Switzerland) (last visited Aug., 2002).

    A groundbreaking survey of scientific literature performed by Dr. David Popenoe and Dr. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead found that cohabiting, unmarried women "are more likely than married women to suffer physical and sexual abuse." The consequences of cohabitation are even more serious for children. Doctors Popenoe and Whitehead conclude that:

    the most unsafe of all family environments for children is that in which the mother is living with someone other than the child's biological father. This is the environment for the majority of children in cohabiting couple households.

    DR. DAVID POPENOE AND DR. BARBARA DAFOE WHITEHEAD, SHOULD WE LIVE TOGETHER? WHAT YOUNG ADULTS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT COHABITATION BEFORE MARRIAGE, at 7-8 (The National Marriage Project, Rutgers University 1999).

  6. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 16(3).

  7. Brigitte Berger, "The Social Roots of Prosperity and Liberty," 35 Society 44 (March 13, 1998) (available on Westlaw at 1998 WL 11168752) ("Although of late we can witness a public rediscovery of the salutary role of the nuclear family of father, mother, and their children living together and caring for their individual and collective progress, policy elites appear neither to have fully understood that public life lies at the mercy of private life, nor do they seem to have apprehended the degree to which the [traditional] virtues and [traditional] ethos continue to be indispensable for the maintenance of both the market economy and civil society").