Executive Summary




2. Men who get and stay married work harder, work smarter, and earn more money than their
unmarried peers.


4. Key sectors of the modern economy—from household products to insurance to groceries—are more
likely to profit when men and women marry and have children.


1. Companies should use their cultural influence to get behind positive, family-friendly advertisements and public education campaigns.

2. Countries should increase access to affordable health care and lifelong learning to strengthen the economic foundations of family life.

3. Public policy should support marriage and responsible parenthood by, for instance, extending
generous tax credits to parents with children in the home.

4. Corporate and public policy should honor the work-family ideals of all women by giving families the flexibility to pursue their own preferences for juggling work and family.

The bottom-line message of The Sustainable Demographic Dividend is that business, government, civil society, and ordinary citizens would do well to strengthen the family—in part because the wealth of nations, and the performance of large sectors of the modern economy, is tied to the fortunes of the family.