marriage & poverty: illinois

17
Marriage: Illinois’ No. 1 Weapon Against Childhood Poverty How the Collapse of Marriage Hurts Children and Three Steps to Reverse the Damage A Heritage Foundation Book of Charts • January 2012 Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society

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Marriage is America's #1 weapon against childhood poverty. This presentation details the impact of marriage on the probability of child poverty in Illinois.

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Page 1: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Marriage:Illinois’ No. 1 Weapon

AgainstChildhood Poverty

How the Collapse of Marriage Hurts Childrenand Three Steps to Reverse the Damage

A Heritage Foundation Book of Charts • January 2012

Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society

Page 2: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in Illinois, 1929–2010

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK

Note: Initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1964, the War on Poverty led to the creation of more than three dozen welfare programs to aid poor persons. Government has spent $16.7 trillion on means-tested aid to the poor since 1964.

Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.

heritage.orgChart 1 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

40.5%

Throughout most of Illinois’ history, out-of-wedlock childbear-ing was rare.

When the federal government’s War on Poverty began in 1964, only 7.7 percent of children in Illinois were born out of wedlock. However, over the next four decades, the number rose rapidly. By 2010, 40.5 percent of births in Illinois occurred outside of mar-riage.

Page 3: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Death of Marriage in Illinois, 1929–2010

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN TO MARRIED COUPLES

Note: In any given year, the sum of the out-of-wedlock birth rate (Chart 1) and the marital birth rate (Chart 2) equals 100 percent of all births.

Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.

heritage.orgChart 2 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

59.5%

The marital birth rate — the percentage of all births that occur to married parents — is the flip side of the out-of-wedlock birth rate.

Through most of the 20th cen-tury, marital births were the norm in Illinois in 1964, more than 92 percent of births occurred to married couples.

However, in the mid-1960s, the marital birth rate began to fall steadily. By 2010, only 59.5 per-cent of births in Illinois occurred to married couples.

Page 4: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

In Illinois, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by 85 Percent

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 3 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Single-Parent, Female-Headed

Families

Married, Two-Parent Families

36.8%

5.7%

The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock childbearing is a major cause of high levels of child pov-erty in Illinois.

Some 36.8 percent of single mothers with children were poor compared to 5.7 percent of mar-ried couples with children.

Single-parent families with children are more than six times more likely to be poor than fami-lies in which the parents are mar-ried.

The higher poverty rate among single-mother families is due both to the lower education levels of the mothers and the lower income due to the absence of the father.

Page 5: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

In Illinois, One-Third of All Families with Children Are Not Married

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 4 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

67.9%

32.1%

Unmarried Families

Married Families

Overall, married couples head two-thirds of families with children in Illinois. Nearly one-third are single-parent families.

Page 6: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

In Illinois, 73 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 5 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

27.1%

72.9%

Unmarried Families

Married Families

Among poor families with children in Illinois, 73 percent are not married. By contrast, 27 percent of poor families with children are headed by married couples.

Page 7: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

In Illinois, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers

Out-of-wedlock births are often confused erroneously with teen births, but only 7.9 percent of out-of-wedlock births in Illinois occur to girls under age 18.

By contrast, some 74 percent of out-of-wedlock births occur to young adult women between the ages of 18 and 29.

Note: Figures have been rounded.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data.

heritage.orgChart 6 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER

Age18–19:14.5%

Age20–24:36.0%

Age25–29:23.3%

Age30–54:18.3%

UnderAge 18:7.9%

Page 8: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Less-Educated Women Are More Likely to Give Birth Outside of Marriage

heritage.orgChart 7 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENTAGE OF BIRTHS THAT ARE MARITAL OR OUT OF WEDLOCK

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

High School Dropout

(0–11Years)

High School Graduate

(12Years)

SomeCollege(13–15Years)

College Graduate

(16+Years)

65.2%

54.5%

42.0%

8.1%

34.8%

45.5%

58.0%

91.9%

Mother’s education level

Unmarried Mothers

Married Mothers

Unwed childbearing occurs most frequently among the women who will have the greatest difficulty sup-porting children by themselves: those with low levels of education.

In the U.S., among women who are high school dropouts, about 65.2 percent of all births occur outside marriage. Among women who have only a high school diploma, well over half of all births occur outside mar-riage. By contrast, among women with at least a college degree, only 8.1 percent of births are out of wed-lock.

Note: Specific data on out-of-wedlock births and maternal education are not available in Illinois. However, the pattern varies little between states. Illinois data will be very similar to the national data presented in this chart.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data. 

Page 9: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective in Reducing Child Poverty in Illinois

The poverty rate of married couples with children is dramati-cally lower than the rate for house-holds headed by single parents. This is true even when the married couple is compared to single par-ents with the same education level.

For example, in Illinois, the poverty rate for a single mother who has only a high school diploma is 39.5 percent, but the poverty rate for a married couple family headed by an individual who, similarly, has only a high school degree is far lower at 8.1 percent.

On average, marriage drops the poverty rate by about 79 percent among families with the same education level.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2005–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 8 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

High School Dropout

High School Graduate

SomeCollege

College Graduate

58.8%

19.9%

39.5%

8.1%

29.6%

4.2%

10.9%

1.7%

Note: Virtually none of the heads of families in the chart who are high school dropouts are minor teenagers.

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR

Poverty Rate of Families by Education and Marital Status of the Head of Household

Single Married

Page 10: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in Illinois

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data.

heritage.orgChart 9 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

All Races White Non-

Hispanic

Hispanic BlackNon-

Hispanic

40.7%

25.9%

52.1%

79.8%

8.3%

Out-of-wedlock childbearing varies considerably by race.

In 2008, 40.7 percent of all births in Illinois occurred outside marriage. The unwed birth rate was lowest among non-Hispanic whites at over one in four births (25.9 percent).

Among Hispanics, well over half of births were out-of-wedlock. Among blacks, eight out of 10 births were to unmarried women (79.8 percent).

Page 11: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Growth of Unwed Childbearing by Race in Illinois, 1934–2008

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK

Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.

heritage.orgChart 10 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008

White Non-Hispanic25.9%

Hispanic52.1%

Black Non-Hispanic79.8%

Historically, out-of-wedlock childbearing has been somewhat more frequent among blacks than among whites. However, prior to the onset of the federal government’s War on Poverty in 1964, the rates for both whites and blacks were comparatively low.

In 1964, less than one in thirty (3.1 percent) white children were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to over one in four (25.9 percent).

In 1964, three in ten black children (30.2 percent) were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to eight in ten (79.8 percent).

Page 12: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births in Illinois

ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data.

heritage.orgChart 11 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

Note: Figures have been rounded.

52.6% White Non-Hispanic

Asian/Other

Black Non-Hispanic

Hispanic

17.5%

24.2%

33.5%

34.2%

31.0%

1.3%5.7%

In Illinois in 2008, some 52.6 percent of all births occurred to non-Hispanic whites, 17.5 percent occurred to non-Hispanic blacks, and 24.2 percent occurred to Hispanics.

Because blacks and Hispanics are more likely to have children without being married, they account for a disproportionately larger share of all out-of-wedlock births.

In Illinois in 2008, 33.5 percent of all non-marital births were to non-Hispanic whites, 34.2 percent were to black non-Hispanic women, and 31 percent were to Hispanics.

Page 13: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Non-Married White Families Are Nearly Eight Times More Likely to Be Poor in Illinois

Marriage leads to lower poverty rates for whites, blacks, and His-panics.

For example, in 2009, the pov-erty rate for married white families in Illinois was 2.6 percent. But the poverty rate for non-married white families was nearly eight times higher at 19.9 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 12 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Married Families Non-Married Families

2.6%

19.9%

Page 14: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Non-Married Black Families Are Five Times More Likely to Be Poor in Illinois

In 2009, the poverty rate for married black couples in Illinois was 6.8 percent, while the poverty rate for non-married black families was five times higher at 36.9 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 13 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Married Families Non-Married Families

6.8%

36.9%

Page 15: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Three Times More Likely to Be Poor in Illinois

In 2009, the poverty rate for Hispanic married families in Illinois was 11.2 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married families was three times higher at 34.8 percent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 14 • Marriage and Poverty in Illinois

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Married Families Non-Married Families

11.2%

34.8%

Page 16: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

Three Steps to Reduce Child Poverty through Marriage

1) Provide information on the benefits of marriage in reducing child poverty and improving child well-being.

2) Reduce anti-marriage penalties in means-tested welfare programs.

3) Promote life-goal-planning, marriage-strengthening, and divorce-reduction programs to increase healthy marriages and reduce divorce and separation.

Marriage is a highly effective institution which greatly decreases parental and child poverty while improving long-term outcomes for children. Conversely, the absence of marriage greatly increases welfare costs and imposes added burdens on taxpayers.

Unfortunately, almost no information on these topics is available in low-income communities. This information deficit should be corrected in the following manner:

• Explain the benefits of marriage in middle and high schools with a high proportion of at-risk youth;

• Create public education campaigns in low-income communities on the benefits of marriage; and,

• Require federally funded birth control clinics to provide information on the benefits of marriage and the skills needed to develop stable families to interested low-income clients.

Page 17: Marriage & Poverty: Illinois

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