marriage & poverty: washington

Marriage:Washington’s 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

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

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCKThroughout most of Washington’s history, out-of-wedlock childbearing was rare.

When the federal government’s War on Poverty began in 1964, only 5.1 percent of children in Washington were born out of wedlock. However, over the next four decades, the number rose rapidly. By 2010, 33 percent of births in Washington occurred outside of marriage.

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 Washington

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

33.0%

Death of Marriage in Washington, 1929–2010

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN TO MARRIED COUPLESThe 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 Washington. In 1964, nearly 95 percent of births occurred to married couples.

However, in the mid-1960s, the marital birth rate began to fall steadily. By 2010, only 67 percent of births in Washington occurred 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.



60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

67.0%

In Washington, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by 84 Percent

The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock childbearing is a major cause of high levels of child poverty in Washington.

Some 33.6 percent of single mothers with children are poor compared to 5.4 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.

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


PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Single-Parent, Female-Headed

Families

Married, Two-Parent Families

33.6%

5.4%

Nearly Three in Ten of All Families with Children in Washington Are Not Married

Overall, married couples head about seven in ten families with children in Washington. Over three in ten are single-parent families.



Unmarried Families

Married Families

30.7%

69.3%

In Washington 70 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

Among poor families with children in Washington, seven in ten are not married. By contrast, 30.3 percent of poor families with children are headed by married couples.



Unmarried Families

Married Families30.3%

69.7%

In Washington, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers

Out-of-wedlock births are often confused erroneously with teen births, but only 6.8 percent of out-of-wedlock births in Washing-ton 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.


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

Age18–19:13.5%

Age20–24:36.9%

Age25–29:24%

Age30–54:18.8%

UnderAge 18:6.8%

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

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

In Washington, among women who are high school dropouts, about 62.9 percent of all births occur outside marriage. Among women who have only a high school diploma, nearly half of all births occur outside marriage. By contrast, among women with at least a college degree, only 6.1 percent of births are out of wed-lock.



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)

62.9%47.7%

29.9%

6.1%

37.1%

52.3%

70.1%

93.9%

Mother’s education level

Unmarried Mothers

Married Mothers

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

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 Washington, the poverty rate for a single mother who has only a high school diploma is 33.9 percent, but the poverty rate for a married couple family headed by an indi-vidual who, similarly, has only a high school degree is far lower at 7 percent.

On average, marriage drops the poverty rate by about 76 percent among families with the same education level.



0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

High School Dropout

High School Graduate

SomeCollege

College Graduate

53.6%

20.6%

33.9%

7.0%

26.1%

4.9%

10.3%

1.8%

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

Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in Washington

Out-of-wedlock childbearing varies considerably by race.

In 2008, 34 percent of births in Washington occurred outside marriage. The rate was lowest among Asians at one in five births (19.5 percent). Among white non-Hispanic women, nearly three in ten births were to unmarried mothers (28.6 percent).

Among Hispanics, over half of births were out of wedlock. Among blacks, 54 percent of children were born to unmarried women.



PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

All Races White Non-

Hispanic

Asian/PacificIslander

Hispanic BlackNon-

Hispanic

34%

19.5%

28.6%

50.9%54.2%8.3%

Growth of Unwed Childbearing by Race in Washington, 1935–2008

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCKHistorically, 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, not even one in 20 (4.6 percent) white children were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to about three in ten (28.6 percent).

In 1964, about one in eight black children (13.5 percent) were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to nearly well over half (54.2 percent).



Hispanic50.9%

White Non-Hispanic28.6%

Black Non-Hispanic54.2%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 20080%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

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

ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHSIn Washington in 2008, some 63.2 percent of all births occurred to non-Hispanic whites, 19.2 percent occurred to Hispanics, 9.5 percent occurred to Asians, and 4.4 percent occurred to black non-Hispanic women.

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. Even so, the majority of unwed births are to white non-Hispanic women.

In Washington in 2008, 53.2 percent of all non-marital births were to non-Hispanic whites, 28.8 percent were to Hispanics, 7 percent were to black non-Hispanics, and 5.5 percent were to Asian women.



Note: Figures have been rounded.

63.2% White Non-Hispanic

Indian/Other

Black Non-Hispanic

Hispanic19.2%

9.5%

4.4%

53.2%

28.8%

5.5%7%

3.7% 5.5%

Asian/PacificIslander

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

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 Washington was 2.8 percent. But the poverty rate for non-married white families was about eight times higher at 21.6 percent.



PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Married Families Non-Married Families

2.8%

21.6%

Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor in Washington

In 2009, the poverty rate for Hispanic married families in Washington was 13.4 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married Hispanic families was nearly four times higher at 47.8 percent.




0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%


13.4%

47.8%

Non-Married Asian Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor in Washington

In 2009, the poverty rate for married Asian families in Wash-ington was 5.5 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married Asian families was nearly four times higher at 20.6 percent.




0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%


5.5%

20.6%

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.

The Family & Religion Initiative is one of 10 Transformational Initiatives making up The Heritage Foundation’s Leadership for America campaign. For more products and information related to this initiative or to learn more about the Leadership for America campaign, please visit heritage.org.

The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited gov-ernment, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.

Our vision is to build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish. As conservatives, we believe the values and ideas that motivated our Founding Fathers are worth conserving. As policy entrepreneurs, we believe the most effective solutions are consistent with those ideas and values.

214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE • Washington, D.C. 20002 • (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org

marriage & poverty: washington

News & Politics

percent of births

normin washington

washington occurred20

marital births

percentage of births

collapse of marriage

death of marriage

wedlock percentage of