The use of '' family values '' as a political term dates back to 1976 , when it appeared in the Republican Party platform . The phrase became more widespread after Vice President Dan Quayle used it in a speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention . Quayle had also launched a national controversy when he criticized the television program '' Murphy Brown '' for a story line that depicted the title character becoming a single mother by choice , citing it as an example of how popular culture contributes to a " poverty of values " , and saying : " i t does n't help matters when primetime TV has Murphy Brown — a character who supposedly epitomizes today 's intelligent , highly paid , professional woman — mocking the importance of fathers , by bearing a child alone , and calling it just another ' lifestyle choice ' " . Quayle 's remarks initiated widespread controversy , and have had a continuing effect on U.S. politics . Stephanie Coontz , a professor of family history and the author of several books and essays about the history of marriage , says that this brief remark by Quayle about Murphy Brown " kicked off more than a decade of outcries against the ' collapse of the family ' "
1992 Republican National Convention
1992 Republican National Convention
Familialism