Marriage Poverty - Oklahoma
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Transcript of Marriage Poverty - Oklahoma
Marriage:Oklahoma’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
Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in Oklahoma, 1929–2010
PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCKThroughout most of Oklahoma’s history, out-of-wedlock childbear-ing was rare.
In 1968, shortly after the federal government began the War on Poverty, only 8.3 percent of chil-dren in Oklahoma were born outside marriage. However, over the next four decades, the number rose rapidly. By 2010, 58.2 percent of births in Oklahoma occurred outside of marriage.
Note: Data on non-marital births in Oklahoma are unavailable between 1948 and 1967. However, all states that do have data for this period show a rapid growth in non-marital childbear-ing from the mid-1960s on. The Okla-homa trend during this period undoubtedly parallels the national trend shown in the chart.
Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.
heritage.orgChart 1 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
41.8%
40.8%
Oklahoma
National
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
National
Oklahoma
In Oklahoma, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by 80 Percent
The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock childbearing is a major cause of high levels of child poverty in Oklahoma.
Some 44.7 percent of single mothers with children are poor compared to 8.8 percent of mar-ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with children are more than five 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.
heritage.orgChart 2 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Single-Parent, Female-Headed
Families
Married, Two-Parent Families
44.7%
8.8%
Over One-Third of All Families with Children in Oklahoma Are Not Married
Overall, married couples head about two-thirds of families with children in Oklahoma. Well over one-third are single-parent families.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 3 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
Unmarried Families
Married Families
34.3%
65.7%
In Oklahoma, 70 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married
Among poor families with children in Oklahoma, seven in ten are not married. By contrast, only 30.3 percent of poor families with children are headed by married couples.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 4 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
Unmarried Families
Married Families30.3%
69.7%
In Oklahoma, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers
Out-of-wedlock births are often confused erroneously with teen births, but only 9.5 percent of out-of-wedlock births in Okla-homa occur to girls under age 18.
By contrast, some 78 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 5 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER
Age18–19:17.3%
Age20–24:40%
Age25–29:21%
Age30–54:12.2%
UnderAge 18:9.5%
Less Educated Women Are More Likely to Give Birth Outside of Marriage
Note: Specific data on out-of-wedlock births and maternal education are not available in Oklahoma. However, the pattern varies little between states. Oklahoma data will be very similar to the national data presented in this chart.
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 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 marriage. By con-trast, among women with at least a college degree, only 8.1 percent of births are out of wedlock.
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 Oklahoma
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%
580%
91.8%
Mother’s education level
Unmarried Mothers
Married Mothers
Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective in Reducing Child Poverty in Oklahoma
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 Oklahoma, the poverty rate for a single mother who has only a high school diploma is 47.9 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 10.6 percent.
On average, marriage drops the poverty rate by around 80 percent among families with the same education level.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2005–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 7 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
High School Dropout
High School Graduate
SomeCollege
College Graduate
61.0%
27.6%
47.9%
10.6%
35.9%
7.9%11.3%
2.0%
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 Oklahoma
Out-of-wedlock childbearing varies considerably by race.
In 2008 (the most recent year for which racial breakdown is available), more than one in four births (42.3 percent) in Oklahoma occurred outside marriage. The rate was lowest among non-Hispanic whites at over one in three births (34.4 percent). Among Hispanics, nearly half of births were out of wedlock. Among American Indians, nearly six in ten (57.3 percent) births were out of wedlock. Among blacks, three in four births were to unmarried women (75.7 percent).
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data.
heritage.orgChart 8 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
All Races White Non-
Hispanic
Hispanic AmericanIndian
BlackNon-
Hispanic
42.3%
34.4%
49%
75.7%
57.3%
8.3%
Growth of Unwed Childbearing by Race in Oklahoma, 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 the 1960s, the rates for both whites and blacks were compara-tively low.
In 1968, 5.3 percent of white children in Oklahoma were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to more than one in three (34.4 percent).
In 1970, about one-third (34.6 percent) of black children in Okla-homa were born outside marriage. By 2008, the number had risen to about seven in every ten (70.2 percent).
Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.
heritage.orgChart 9 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Oklahoma–White 34.4%
National–White 28.6%
Oklahoma–Black 75.7%
National–Black 72.3%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births in Oklahoma
ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS In Oklahoma in 2008, some 64.2 percent of all births occurred to non-Hispanic whites, 12.9 percent occurred to Hispanics, 11.5 percent occurred to American Indians, and 9.1 percent occurred to non-Hispanic blacks.
Because blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians are more likely to have children without being married, they account for disproportionately larger shares of all out-of-wedlock births. Even so, the largest number of unwed births were to white non-Hispanic women.
In Oklahoma in 2008, 52.2 percent of all non-marital births were to non-Hispanic whites, 16.2 percent were to black non-Hispanic women, 15.6 percent were to American Indians, and 15 percent were to Hispanic women.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data
heritage.orgChart 10 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
Note: Figures have been rounded.
64.2% White Non-Hispanic
Asian/Other
Black Non-Hispanic
American Indian12.9%
11.5%
9.1%
2.3% 1%
52.2%
15%
15.6%
16.2%
Hispanic
Non-Married White Families Are Seven Times More Likely to Be Poor in Oklahoma
Marriage leads to lower poverty rates for whites, blacks, American Indians, and Hispanics.
For example, in 2009, the pov-erty rate for married white families in Oklahoma was 4.5 percent. But the poverty rate for non-married white families was nearly seven times higher at 29.8 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 11 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Married Families Non-Married Families
4.5%
29.8%
Non-Married Black Families Are Nearly Six Times More Likely to Be Poor in Oklahoma
In 2009, the poverty rate for married black couples in Okla-homa was 7.8 percent, while the poverty rate for non-married black families was nearly six times higher at 43.4 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 12 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Married Families Non-Married Families
7.8%
43.4%
Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Three Times More Likely to Be Poor in Oklahoma
In 2009, the poverty rate for Hispanic married families in Okla-homa was 18.3 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married families was more than three times higher at 55.5 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 13 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Married Families Non-Married Families
18.3%
55.5%
Non-Married American Indian Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor in Oklahoma
In 2009, the poverty rate for American Indian married families in Oklahoma was 9 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married families was more than four times higher at 38.5 percent.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.
heritage.orgChart 14 • Marriage and Poverty in Oklahoma
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Married Families Non-Married Families
9%
38.5%
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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