Marriage & Poverty: Ohio

Marriage:
Ohio’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

Growth of Unwed Childbearing in Ohio, 1929–2010
Throughout most of Ohio PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
history, out-of-wedlock childbear-
ing was rare. In 1964, after the 50%
federal government began the War
on Poverty, only 6.1 percent of 43.8%
children in Ohio were born out-
side marriage. However, over the 40% 40.8%
Ohio
next ﬁve decades, the number rose
rapidly. By 2010, 56.2 percent of
births in Ohio occurred outside of
30%
marriage.
National Ohio
National

Note: Data on non-marital births in 20%
Ohio are unavailable from 1969 to
1979. However, all states that do have
data for this period show a rapid
growth in non-marital childbearing 10%
from the mid-1960s on. The Ohio
trend during this period undoubtedly
parallels the national trend shown in
the chart.
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 Ohio heritage.org

In Ohio, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by 86 Percent

The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR
childbearing is a major cause of 50%
high levels of child poverty in
Ohio. 41.8%
Some 41.8 percent of single
40%
mothers with children were poor
compared to 5.7 percent of mar-
ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with 30%
children are more than seven
times more likely to be poor than
families in which the parents are 20%
married.
The higher poverty rate among
single-mother families is due both
10%
to the lower education levels of 5.7%
the mothers and the lower income
due to the absence of the father.
0%
Single-Parent, Married,Two-Parent
Female-Headed Families
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Families
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data.


One-Third of All Families with Children in Ohio Are Not Married

Overall, married couples head
about two-thirds of families with
children in Ohio. More than one-
third are single-parent families.

Unmarried
Families
35.2%

Married Families
64.6%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American


In Ohio, 78 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

Among poor families with
children in Ohio, nearly four in
ﬁve are not married. By contrast,
only one-ﬁfth of poor families
with children are headed by Married
Families
married couples.
21.8%

Unmarried
Families
78.2%



In Ohio, 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 7.4 percent of
out-of-wedlock births in Ohio Under
occur to girls under age 18. Age 18:
By contrast, some 79 percent of 7.7%
out-of-wedlock births occur to
Age
young adult women between the 30–54:
ages of 18 and 29. 17.7% Age
18–19:
14.5%

Age
25–29:
23.0%
Age
20–24:
37.1%
Note: Figures have been rounded.

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


Less-Educated Women in Ohio Are More Likely to Give Birth
Outside Marriage
Unwed childbearing occurs PERCENTAGE OF BIRTHS THAT ARE MARITAL
most frequently among women OR OUT OF WEDLOCK
who will have the greatest difﬁ- 100%
6.7% Unmarried
culty supporting children by Mothers
themselves: those with low levels 90%
of education. 41.7%
80%
In Ohio, among women who are 59.9%
high school dropouts, about 73.5 70%
73.5%
percent of all births occur outside 60%
marriage. Among women who
have only a high school diploma, 50%
Married
three in ﬁve births occur outside 93.3%
40% Mothers
marriage. By contrast, among 58.3%
women with at least a college 30%
degree, only 6.7 percent of births 40.1%
are out of wedlock. 20%
26.5%
10%

0%
High School High School Some College Mother’s
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Dropout Graduate College Graduate education
Human Services, Centers for Disease (0–11 (12 (13–15 (16+ level
data. Years) Years) Years) Years)


Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective in Reducing Child
Poverty in Ohio
The poverty rate of married
couples with children is dramati-
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES Poverty Rate of Families by
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
parents. This is true even when 80%
the married couple is compared to
70% 68.1%
single parents with the same edu-
cation level. 60%
For example, in Ohio, the pov-
erty rate for a single mother who 50%
has only a high school diploma is 40.3%
40.3 percent, but the poverty rate 40%
for a married couple family 32.8%
headed by an individual who, 30%
24.2%
similarly, has only a high school
20%
degree is far lower at 7.7 percent.
11.9%
On average, marriage drops the 10% 7.7%
poverty rate by around 80 percent 4.4%
1.6%
among families with the same 0%
education level. High School High School Some College
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.


Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in Ohio
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race. 79.1%
80%
In 2008 (the most recent year
for which racial breakdown is 8.3%
available), 43.4 percent of births in 70%
Ohio occurred outside marriage.
59.5%
The rate was lowest among non- 60%
Hispanic whites: about one in
three births to white in this groups
50%
(35.5 percent) were non-marital. 43.4%
Among Hispanics, six in ten
40% 35.5%
(59.5 percent) births were out-of-
wedlock. Among blacks, nearly
eight in ten births (79.1 percent) 30%
were to unmarried women.
20%

10%

0%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease All Races White Hispanic Black
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS Non- Non-
data. Hispanic Hispanic


Growth of Unwed Childbearing by Race in Ohio, 1934–2008
Historically, out-of-wedlock PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
childbearing has been somewhat Ohio–Black
more frequent among blacks than 80% 79.1%
among whites. However, prior to
the onset of the federal National–
70%
government’s War on Poverty in Black
72.3%
the 1960s, the rates for both
whites and blacks were compara- 60%
tively low.
In 1964, 3.6 percent of white 50%
children in Ohio were born out-
side marriage. By 2008, the 40% Ohio–White
number had risen to one in three 35.5%
(35.5 percent).
30% National–
In 1964, more than one in four White
(26.9 percent) black children in 28.6%
20%
Ohio were born outside marriage.
By 2008, that number had risen to
about eight in ten (79.1 percent). 10%

0%
Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census
Bureau, and National Center for Health 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Statistics.


Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births in Ohio
In Ohio in 2008, some 75.9 ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
percent of all births occurred to
non-Hispanic whites, 16.3 percent
occurred to non-Hispanic blacks,
and 4.6 percent occurred to His-
panics.
Because blacks and Hispanics
are more likely to have children 75.9% White Non- 62.2%
without being married, they Hispanic
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 Ohio in 2008, 62.2 percent of
all non-marital births were to
non-Hispanic white women, 29.7
percent were to black non- 29.7%
Hispanic
Hispanic women, and 6.4 percent 16.3%
were to Hispanic women. Black Non-
4.6% Hispanic 6.4%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Asian/Other
3.2% 1.7%
Human Services, Centers for Disease
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married White Families Are Eight Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Ohio
Marriage leads to lower poverty PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
rates for whites, blacks, and His-
panics.
30%
For example, in 2009, the pov- 27.5%
erty rate for married white families
in Ohio was 3.4 percent. But the 25%
poverty rate for non-married white
families was eight times higher at
27.5 percent. 20%

15%

10%

5% 3.4%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Black Families Are Nearly Five Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Ohio
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in Ohio was
7.9 percent, while the poverty rate
50%
for non-married black families was
more than ﬁve times higher at 42.8%
42.8 percent.
40%

30%

20%

10% 7.9%

0%


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Five Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Ohio
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
Hispanic married families in Ohio
was 11.6 percent, while the pov-
50%
erty rate among non-married 45.2%
families was four times higher at
45.2 percent.
40%

30%

20%

11.6%
10%

0%


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.

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.

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