Marriage is America's #1 weapon against childhood poverty. This presentation details the impact of marriage on the probability of child poverty in Massachusetts.
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Marriage & Poverty: Massachusetts
1. Marriage:
Massachusetts’s 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
2. Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in Massachusetts, 1979–2010
In 2010, a record 34.7 percent PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
of children in Massachusetts were
born outside marriage. By con- 50%
trast, in 1979, 15 percent of chil-
dren in the state were born outside
marriage. The non-marital birth 40.8%
rate in the state has risen dramati- 40%
cally over the last three decades.
34.7%
30%
Note: Massachusetts is unusual in that
it has no data on non-marital births National
before 1979. However, all states that Massachusetts
do have data for the earlier period 20%
show rates which parallel the national
trend displayed in the chart. In these
states, the non-marital birth rates
remained low until the onset of the
federal War on Poverty in the mid- 10%
1960s, and then began to rise steadily.
The Massachusetts unwed birth rate
before 1979 very likely parallels the
overall national trend.
0%
Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census
Bureau, and National Center for Health 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Statistics.
Chart 1 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
3. In Massachusetts, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty
by 90 Percent
The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR
childbearing is a major cause of 35%
high levels of child poverty in 31.9%
Massachusetts.
30%
Some 31.9 percent of single
mothers with children are poor
compared to 3.1 percent of mar- 25%
ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with 20%
children are ten times more likely
to be poor than families in which
the parents are married. 15%
The higher poverty rate among
single-mother families is due both 10%
to the lower education levels of
the mothers and the lower income 5%
due to the absence of the father. 3.1%
0%
Single-Parent, Married,Two-Parent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Female-Headed Families
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data. Families
Chart 2 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
4. In Massachusetts, Three in Ten Families with Children Are Not Married
Overall, married couples head
about seven in ten families with
children in Massachusetts. Three
in ten are single-parent families.
Unmarried
Families
30.9%
Married
Families
69.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
Chart 3 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
5. In Massachusetts, 81 Percent of Poor Families with Children
Are Not Married
Among poor families with
children in Massachusetts, eight in
ten are not married. By contrast,
only 19.4 percent of poor families
Married
with children are headed by Families
married couples.
19.4%
Unmarried
Families
80.6%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
Chart 4 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
6. In Massachusetts, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers
Out-of-wedlock births are often PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
confused erroneously with teen BY AGE OF MOTHER
births, but only 5.2 percent of
out-of-wedlock births in Massa- Under
Age 18:
chusetts occur to girls under age
5.2%
18.
By contrast, some 72 percent of
out-of-wedlock births occur to Age
Age 18–19:
young adult women between the 30–54:
ages of 18 and 29. 11.3%
23.1%
Age
Age 20–24:
25–29: 34.8%
25.6%
Note: Figures have been rounded.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS
data.
Chart 5 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
7. Less-Educated Women Are More Likely to Give Birth
Outside of Marriage
Unwed childbearing occurs most PERCENTAGE OF BIRTHS THAT ARE MARITAL
frequently among the women who OR OUT OF WEDLOCK
will have the greatest difficulty sup-
100% Unmarried
porting children by themselves: those 8.1%
with low levels of education. 90%
Mothers
In the U.S., among women who 42.0%
are high school dropouts, about 65.2 80%
percent of all births occur outside 54.5%
marriage. Among women who have 70%
only a high school diploma, well over 65.2%
60%
half of all births occur outside mar- 91.9% Married
riage. By contrast, among women Mothers
50%
with at least a college degree, only
8.1 percent of births are out of wed- 40%
lock. 58.0%
30%
45.5%
Note: Specific data on out-of-wedlock 20%
births and maternal education are not 34.8%
available in Massachusetts. However, the 10%
pattern varies little between states. Massa-
chusetts data will be very similar to the 0%
national data presented in this chart. High School High School Some College Mother’s
Dropout Graduate College Graduate education
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease
(0–11 (12 (13–15 (16+ level
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data. Years) Years) Years) Years)
Chart 6 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
8. Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective
in Reducing Child Poverty in Massachusetts
The poverty rate of married PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES Poverty Rate of Families by
couples with children is dramati- WITH CHILDREN THAT Single
Education and Marital Status
cally lower than the rate for ARE POOR Married
of the Head of Household
households headed by single
60%
parents. This is true even when
the married couple is compared to 53.0%
single parents with the same 50%
education level.
For example, in Massachusetts, 40%
the poverty rate for a single 35.7%
mother who has only a high
school diploma is 35.7 percent, 30%
25.6%
but the poverty rate for a married
couple family headed by an indi- 20%
vidual who, similarly, has only a 16.6%
high school degree is far lower at 9.6%
5.2 percent. 10%
5.2%
On average, marriage drops the 3.2%
1.3%
poverty rate by around 78 percent 0%
among families with the same High School High School Some College
education level. Dropout Graduate College Graduate
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Note: Virtually none of the heads of families in the chart who are high school
Community Survey, 2005–2009 data. dropouts are minor teenagers.
Chart 7 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
9. Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in Massachusetts
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race.
80%
In 2008 (the most recent year
for which racial breakdown is 8.3%
available), over one in three births 70% 66.1%
(34 percent) overall in Massachu-
setts occurred outside marriage. 60% 58.4%
The rate was lowest among
white non-Hispanics. Among that 50%
group about one in four births
were non-marital.
40%
Among non-Hispanic blacks, 34.0%
about six in ten births (58.4 per- 30%
cent) were to unmarried women. 26.0%
Among Hispanics, about two-
thirds of births (66.1 percent) 20%
were out of wedlock.
10%
0%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and All Races White Black Hispanic
Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS Non- Non-
data. Hispanic Hispanic
Chart 8 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
10. Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births
in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts in 2008, some ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
67.8 percent of all births occurred
to non-Hispanic whites, 14.2
percent occurred to Hispanics, and
9.4 percent occurred to non-
Hispanic blacks.
Because blacks and Hispanics 67.8% White Non- 51.9%
are more likely to have children Hispanic
without being married, they
account for disproportionately
larger shares of all out-of-wedlock
births. Even so, the largest number
of unwed births are to white non-
Hispanic women.
In Massachusetts in 2008, 51.9 27.6%
percent of all non-marital births Hispanic
were to white non-Hispanics, 27.6 14.2%
percent were to Hispanic women,
and 16.1 percent were to black 9.4% Black Non-
non-Hispanic women. Hispanic 16.1%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and 8.6% 4.4%
Asian/Other
Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.
Chart 9 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
11. Non-Married White Families Are Eight Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Massachusetts
Marriage leads to lower poverty PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
rates for whites, blacks, and His-
panics. 18%
For example, in 2009, the pov- 16.0%
erty rate for married white families 16%
in Massachusetts was 1.9 percent.
But the poverty rate for non- 14%
married white families was eight
times higher at 16 percent. 12%
10%
8%
6%
4%
1.9%
2%
0%
Married Families Non-Married Families
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
Chart 10 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
12. Non-Married Black Families Are Five Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Massachusetts
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in
Massachusetts was 5.8 percent,
30%
while the poverty rate for 27.6%
non-married black families was
five times higher at 27.6 percent. 25%
20%
15%
10%
5.8%
5%
0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Married Families Non-Married Families
Community Survey, 2007– 2009 data.
Chart 11 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
13. Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Massachusetts
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
Hispanic married families in
Massachusetts was 11.9 percent,
50%
while the poverty rate among
non-married families was nearly 44.7%
45%
four times higher at 44.7 percent.
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15% 11.9%
10%
5%
0%
Married Families Non-Married Families
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
Chart 12 • Marriage and Poverty in Massachusetts heritage.org
14. 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.
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.
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.
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