Marriage Poverty - Minnesota

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Marriage: Minnesota’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 • 2012 Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society

Transcript of Marriage Poverty - Minnesota

Page 1: Marriage Poverty - Minnesota

Marriage:Minnesota’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 • 2012

Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society

Page 2: Marriage Poverty - Minnesota

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

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK Throughout most of Minnesota history, out-of-wedlock childbear-ing was rare.

When the federal government’s War on Poverty began in 1964, only 4.6 percent of children in Minnesota were born out of wed-lock. However, over the next four decades, the number rose rapidly. By 2010, more than one-third of all births in Minnesota occurred outside of marriage.

Note: Initiated by President Lyndon Johnson in 1963, 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 Minnesota

0%

5%

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25%

30%

35%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

33.2%

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Death of Marriage in Minnesota, 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 century, marital births were the norm in Minnesota. In 1964, more than 95 percent of births occurred to married couples.

However, in the mid-1960s, the marital birth rate began to fall steadily. By 2010, only 66.8 percent of births in Minnesota 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.

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

heritage.orgChart 2 • Marriage and Poverty in Minnesota

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

66.8%

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In Minnesota, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by 89 Percent

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

heritage.orgChart 3 • Marriage and Poverty in Minnesota

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR

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Single-Parent, Female-Headed

Families

Married, Two-Parent Families

33.2%

3.8%

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

Some 33.2 percent of single mothers with children were poor compared to 3.8 percent of mar-ried couples with children.

Single-parent families with children are nearly nine 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.

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In Minnesota, Nearly One-Quarter 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 Minnesota

77.3%

22.7%

Unmarried Families

Married Families

Overall, married couples head three-quarters of families with children in Minnesota. Nearly one-quarter are single-parent families.

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In Minnesota, 74 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 Minnesota

25.9%

74.1%

Unmarried Families

Married Families

Among poor families with children in Minnesota, 74 percent are not married. By contrast, one-quarter of poor families with children are headed by married couples.

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In Minnesota, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers

Out-of-wedlock births are often confused erroneously with teen births, but only 6 percent of out-of-wedlock births in Minnesota occur to girls under age 18.

By contrast, some 77 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 Minnesota

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

Age18–19:13.3%

Age20–24:38.5%

Age25–29:25.2%

Age30–54:17.3%

UnderAge 18:5.7%

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

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

heritage.orgChart 7 • Marriage and Poverty in Minnesota

PERCENTAGE OF BIRTHS THAT ARE MARITAL OR OUT OF WEDLOCK

0%

10%

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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%

37.7%

8.1%

34.8%

45.5%

62.3%

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.

Nationwide, among women who are high school dropouts, about two-thirds of all births occur outside marriage. Among women who have only a high school diploma, more than half of all births occur outside marriage. By contrast, among women with at least a college degree, only 8 percent of births are out of wedlock.

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

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

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 Minnesota, the poverty rate for a single mother who has only a high school diploma is 30.3 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 5.3 percent.

On average, marriage drops the poverty rate by around 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 Minnesota

0%

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30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

High School Dropout

High School Graduate

SomeCollege

College Graduate

56.8%

22.2%

30.3%

5.3%

25.0%

3.2%8.6%

1.2%

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

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Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in Minnesota

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 Minnesota

PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK

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60%

70%

80%

All Races White Non-

Hispanic

Hispanic BlackNon-

Hispanic

33.3%

26.0%

57.9%60.9%

8.3%

Out-of-wedlock childbearing varies considerably by race.

In 2008, one in three births (33.3 percent) in Minnesota occurred outside marriage. The rate was lowest among non-Hispanic whites at over one in four births (26 percent). Among Hispanics, well over half of births were out-of-wedlock. Among blacks six out of 10 births were to unmarried women (60.9 percent).

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Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing by Race in Minnesota, 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 Minnesota

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1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008

White Non-Hispanic26.0%

Black Non-Hispanic60.9%

Hispanic57.9%

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, one in twenty-five (4.1 percent) white children were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to more than one in four (26 percent).

In 1964, more than two in ten black children (27 percent) were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to over six in ten (60.9 percent).

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

ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS In Minnesota in 2008, some 72.8 percent of all births (both marital and non-marital) occurred to non-Hispanic whites, 7.9 percent occurred to Hispanics, and 9.2 percent to non-Hispanic blacks.

Because black and Hispanic people are more likely to have children without being married, a dispropor-tionate share of all out-of-wedlock births occur to those groups. None-theless, the largest number of out-of-wedlock births still occur to white non-Hispanic women.

In Minnesota in 2008, 56.8 percent of all non-marital births were to non-Hispanic whites, 13.8 percent were to Hispanics, and 16.6 percent were to black non-Hispanic women.

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 Minnesota

Note: Figures have been rounded.

72.8% White Non-Hispanic

Asian/Other

Black Non-Hispanic

Hispanic

9.2%

7.9%

56.8%

16.8%

13.8%

12.7%

10.1%

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Non-Married White Families Are Ten Times More Likely to Be Poor in Minnesota

Marriage leads to lower poverty rates for whites, blacks, and Hispanics in Minnesota.

For example, in 2009, the poverty rate for married white families in Minnesota was 2.1 percent. But the poverty rate for non-married white families was nearly ten times higher at 20.1 percent.

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

heritage.orgChart 12 • Marriage and Poverty in Minnesota

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

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25%

Married Families Non-Married Families

2.1%

20.1%

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Non-Married Black Families Are Nearly Four Times More Likely to Be Poor in Minnesota

In 2009, the poverty rate for married black couples in Minnesota was 12.2 percent, while the poverty rate for non-married black families was nearly four times higher at 45 percent.

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

heritage.orgChart 13 • Marriage and Poverty in Minnesota

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

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25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Married Families Non-Married Families

12.2%

45%

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

In 2009, the poverty rate for Hispanic married families in Minnesota was 14.4 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married families was nearly three times higher at 42.1 percent.

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

heritage.orgChart 14 • Marriage and Poverty in Minnesota

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

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30%

40%

50%

Married Families Non-Married Families

14.4%

42.1%

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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.

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