Dr. Brad Wilcox: Get Married

On this episode of The Empower Podcast, host Grant Callen talks with Dr. Brad Wilcox, Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia and author of Get Married: Why Americans Must Defy the Elites, Forge Strong Families, and Save Civilization. Dr. Wilcox shares striking research on how marriage shapes economic mobility, child wellbeing, and community stability—and why family decline fuels many of America’s biggest challenges. With marriage rates down more than 50% in the past half-century, he highlights powerful data: kids from intact families are four times more likely to graduate college than end up in prison, and neighborhoods with more two-parent households drive upward mobility for poor children. Drawing on years of research, Dr. Wilcox explains how family structure underpins education, work, and public safety, core issues in Empower’s mission to expand opportunity in Mississippi. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on reclaiming family as the foundation for opportunity.