Majority of teens live in 'rejection' families

Study warns of ill effects on society, economy
By Cheryl Wetzstein
The Washington Times
Wednesday, December 15, 2010

More than half of American teens have grown up with parents who "rejected each other," which bodes ill for the nation's future leadership, productivity, wealth and well-being, says a new national report on American families.

Only 45 percent of teens, aged 15-17, have grown up from birth with their married, biological parents, says the new U.S. Index of Belonging and Rejection, released Wednesday by the Family Research Council (FRC).

These intact families are in the "belonging" category.

The other 55 percent of teens experienced some form of parental rejection in their young lives. They "have seen their mother and father walk away from each other," explained Patrick Fagan, director of the FRC's Marriage and Religion Research Institute. the rest