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December 14, 2011 Marriage — it's so last century. A new report out on Wednesday finds the share of all U.S. adults who are married has dropped to its lowest on record, at just 51 percent. If the trend continues, the institution will soon lose its majority status in American life.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

• Study: Are Cohabiting Parents Bad For Kids?

December 8, 2011 It's well documented that marital happiness plummets with the arrival of a baby. But a study of more than 2,800 married couples identifies common traits that helped more than a third of them buck the trend.

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December 1, 2011 A new survey finds that while women understand that fertility declines with age, they dramatically underestimate by how much. Infertility experts say the increasing number of older women having babies — often through extensive fertility treatments — can provide a false sense of comfort.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

November 22, 2011 Parenting used to end when the kids left home at 18. Now, more college grads are moving back home. To the rescue: new parenting books on the trials and tribulations of raising your adult child. The hottest topics? Money. And kids moving back home.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

November 5, 2011 A new Pew survey finds that Gen Xers, now in their 30s and 40s, are feeling harder hit by the recession than other groups as they struggle to raise children and save for their own retirement. Always a diverse group, they are split in support for President Obama and Mitt Romney.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist

• SPECIAL SERIES: Silents To Millennials

October 28, 2011 Companies are trying to bring down their spiraling health care costs by helping employees lose weight. At Dow Chemical, managers hope to set an example by hitting the corporate gym at midday, and the company offers weight-management classes on demand, at workers' convenience.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

October 27, 2011 From cubicle farms to auto factories, accommodating larger and heavier employees has become a fact of life. One in three U.S. adults is obese, and researchers say the impact on business can be boiled down to a number: $1,000 to $6,000 in added cost per year for each obese employee.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

• Hormones, Metabolism Conspire Against Dieters

October 21, 2011 As the nation's student-loan debt climbs toward $1 trillion, many students face 20-year repayment plans. The average debt is $24,000, but some owe far more and say this burden influences life decisions, from buying a house to whether to have children.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

September 28, 2011 The amount can be confusing and depressing, so many Americans never calculate it. Experts offer their formulas, and say you'll be far happier later if you pinch pennies now.

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On All Things ConsideredPlaylist

September 27, 2011 For a sizable chunk of Americans, retirement is proving to be more difficult than they had imagined, according to a new poll by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard School of Public Health.

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On Morning EditionPlaylist

September 18, 2011 Many adult children of anonymous sperm and egg donors say they deserve to know the identity of their biological parents, something a number of countries have already mandated. Kathleen LaBounty is among the most outspoken to make this case.

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On Weekend Edition SundayPlaylist

• A New Openness For Donor Kids About Their Biology

September 17, 2011 In the past, sperm and egg donation has been shrouded in secrecy, and many children conceived this way were not told about their biological origins. But research suggests this can be toxic for families, and more couples plan to tell their children a modern-day version of the facts of life.

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On Weekend Edition SaturdayPlaylist