Home & Family

Utah is widely recognized for its strong emphasis on family life; however, persistent challenges within the home context indicate that not all women and girls are able to thrive equally. Unequal divisions of unpaid domestic labor, caregiving responsibilities, and emotional labor—along with gaps in communication and relationship health—continue to affect family well‑being. While many Utah families strive for balance, notable perception gaps remain: 61% of women (compared to 73% of men) report that housework is shared equitably, and 59.5% of women (compared to 73.2% of men) say the same about caregiving. These disparities highlight the need for continued efforts to support more equitable and healthy family dynamics across the state. When women and girls are supported and able to thrive within their families, the benefits extend to boys, men, and entire households. Providing individuals and families with the knowledge and skills to build healthy relationships and equitable partnerships strengthens both homes and communities. By intentionally addressing the distinct challenges faced by women and girls, Utah can foster family environments where every member has the opportunity to thrive.

A Bolder Way Forward’s Home & Family Spoke is working with partners statewide to ensure women, girls, and all Utahns can make tangible progress towards fostering healthy relationships and balanced partnerships. Learn more about how you can strengthen relationships in your home and beyond by visiting the resources below. Individuals, organizations, and communities can also take specific actions to help. To get engaged, email the UWLP Community Connector (Amy Anderson).

Key Resources

Informational Video

Resource Kit

Research Snapshot

What Utahns Need to Know

Spoke Podcast

Bold Goals

Through collective impact and systems thinking, Utah can improve things by working towards the following goals:

Strengthen Utah families by promoting research-based resources that cultivate healthy relationships in the home. [Metric Forthcoming]
Increase awareness of the value of equal partnerships (e.g. domestic labor, caregiving, emotional work) in the home. [Metric Forthcoming]
Foster collaborative research on the status and needs of Utah families. [Metric Forthcoming]
Shift Utah women's agreement with the following statements: [Metric Dashboard]
1. In conflicts, my partner and I have an equal opportunity to express our views and influence the outcome. (Increase)
2. I feel the load of domestic labor is shared equitably within my home. (Increase)
3. I feel the load of caregiving is shared equitably within my home. (Increase)
4. In our relationship, I feel that my partner's sexual needs are more important than my own. (Decrease)

Spoke Advisors

Alyssa DeHart (Founder, Utah Advocacy Coalition)
Catherine Hutton (VP Contract Administration, Kepco+)
Christy Kane (CEO, Drchristykane.com)
Stacy Goulding (Health Educator, StacyLyn Coaching)
Michelle Linford (Digital & Civic Wellness, Centralign Consulting)
Emily Prisbrey (Co-Founder, Utah Single Mothers Coalition)

What You Can Do

Encourage your local school administrators and staff to offer healthy relationship workshops for high school students. See the resource kit for ideas.

Encourage couples and parents in your spheres of influence to participate in free research-based workshops on healthy relationships. Healthy Relationships Utah provides courses and other resources on couples/dating, stepfamilies, parents, and self improvement.

Learn and share information about balanced distribution of domestic labor, care work, and emotional work. For example, resources on this page can be shared with family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, religious leaders, and on social media.

Community Partners

The Utah Marriage Commission focuses on strengthening marriages and families. It promotes marriage education, relationship skills, and family well-being through podcast series, webinar series, e-Courses, and other resources.

The Utah Office of Families prioritizes policies to strengthen families and improve outcomes for children. Through proactive education and community connection, they promote the wellbeing of all families in Utah.

Healthy Relationships Utah offers free research-based relationship education courses online and throughout the state as part of USU Extension. Topics include dating, marriage, parenting, stepfamilies, positive well-being, and more.

FSCU operates 18 centers across Utah focused on supporting parents, protecting children, and preserving families. Each provides 24-hour crisis & respite nursery, a 24-hour information and referral service, and a parenting and youth education program.

Utah Advocacy Coalition strengthens families and care systems through a connected cycle of support. They mobilize Utah organizations to build better care systems and policies by elevating advocacy, empowering families, and expanding giving circles.

A non-profit run by volunteers, Momivate believes that mothers have a unique opportunity to shape society through their children. Their programming and partnerships focus on activating mothers across the state and elevating the respect given to motherhood.

The Utah Single Mothers Coalition is an online group for anyone who has been a single mother along their life journey and/or is interested in advocacy for single mothers. They provide resources, support, legislative efforts and community.

The Divorce Co-Op offers community and mentoring to Utah women struggling with emotional and financial dependence. Coaching resources include mediation prep, conflict communication, career building, healthy parenting, healing, and transitions.

This coalition provides education and training for healthy relationships, fatherhood, and employment to youth and adults. Programs include building uplifting relationships, jobs work, nurturing fathers, pathways to manhood, and train the trainer.