I Hope: A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experience of Fragile Families

The literature surrounding fragile families, low-income, unwed couples that are expecting a baby or that are new parents, is quickly expanding as there is a growing interest in understanding demographics, barriers to marriage, desire to marry, and patterns of relationships. This is due in large part to the federal government's healthy marriage initiative, which provided millions of dollars nationwide in demonstration grants designed to improve relationships among fragile families. In the midst of the expansion of literature, however, there is a deficit of deep, qualitative understanding of the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of fragile families regarding relationship formation and marriage. Therefore, this article describes a phenomenological study that explores the lived experience of fragile families.