Marriage Reduces Child Poverty by 87% in South Dakota

Marriage:
South Dakota’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 Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in South Dakota, 1932–2010
Throughout most of South PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
Dakota’s history, out-of-wedlock
childbearing was rare. 40%
37.6%
When the federal government’s
War on Poverty began in the early 35%
1960s, only three percent of chil-
dren in South Dakota were born 30%
out of wedlock. However, over the
next four decades, the number
rose rapidly. By 2010, 37.6 percent 25%
of births in South Dakota occurred
outside of marriage. 20%

15%

Note: Initiated by President Lyndon
Johnson in 1964, the War on Poverty 10%
led to the creation of more than three
dozen welfare programs to aid poor
persons. Government has spent $16.7 5%
trillion on means-tested aid to the poor
since 1964.
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 South Dakota heritage.org

Death of Marriage in South Dakota, 1932–2010
The marital birth rate—the PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN TO MARRIED COUPLES
percentage of all births that occur
to married parents—is the ﬂip side 100%
of the out-of-wedlock birth rate.
Through most of the 20th cen-
tury, marital births were the norm
in South Dakota. In the early 90%
1960s, some 97 percent of births
occurred to married couples.
However, in the mid-1960s, the
marital birth rate began to fall
steadily. By 2010, only 62.4 per- 80%
cent of births in South Dakota
occurred to married couples.

70%

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. 62.4%
60%
Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census
Bureau, and National Center for Health 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Statistics.


In South Dakota, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty
by 87 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
South Dakota.
Some 38.6 percent of single 38.6%
40%
mothers with children are poor
compared to 4.9 percent of mar-
ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with 30%
children are eight times more
likely to be poor than families in
which the parents are married. 20%
The higher poverty rate among
single-mother families is due both
to the lower education levels of
10%
the mothers and the lower income
4.9%
due to the absence of the father.

0%
Single-Parent, Married,Two-Parent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Female-Headed Families
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data. Families


Nearly One-Third of All Families with Children in South Dakota
Are Not Married
Overall, married couples head
about two-thirds of families with
children in South Dakota. About
one-third are single-parent
families.
Unmarried
Families
32.1%

Married
Families
67.9%

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


In South Dakota, 77 Percent of Poor Families with Children
Are Not Married
Among poor families with chil-
dren in South Dakota, more than
three-quarters are not married. By
contrast, only 23.4 percent of poor
families with children are headed
by married couples. Married
Families
23.4%

Unmarried
Families
76.6%



In South Dakota Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers
Out-of-wedlock births are PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
often confused erroneously with BY AGE OF MOTHER
teen births, but only 7.5 percent
of out-of-wedlock births in Under
South Dakota occur to girls Age 18:
under age 18. 7.5%
By contrast, some 78 percent
Age
of out-of-wedlock births occur 30–54:
to young adult women between 14.3% Age
the ages of 18 and 29. 18–19:
14.4%

Age
25–29:
22.4%

Age
20–24:
41.4%
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 Are More Likely to Give Birth Outside
of Marriage
Unwed childbearing occurs PERCENTAGE OF BIRTHS THAT ARE MARITAL
most frequently among the OR OUT OF WEDLOCK
women who will have the greatest 100%
6.8% Unmarried
difﬁculty supporting children by Mothers
themselves: those with low levels 90%
of education. 37.4%
80%
In South Dakota, among women 51.1%
who are high school dropouts, 70%
71.9%
about 71.9 percent of all births 60%
occur outside marriage. Among Married
93.2%
women who have only a high 50% Mothers
school diploma, over half of all
births occur outside marriage. By 40%
62.6%
contrast, among women with at 30%
least a college degree, only 6.8 48.9%
percent of births are out of wed- 20%
lock. 28.1%
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 South Dakota
The poverty rate of married
couples with children is dramati-
PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES Poverty Rate of Families by
WITH CHILDREN THAT Single
cally lower than the rate for house- Education and Marital Status
ARE POOR Married
of the Head of Household
holds headed by single parents.
This is true even when the married 80%
couple is compared to single par- 69.2%
70%
ents with the same education level.
For example, in South Dakota, 60%
the poverty rate for a single
mother who has only a high 50%
school diploma is 38.6 percent, 38.6%
40%
but the poverty rate for a married 34.8%
couple family headed by an indi- 30%
vidual who, similarly, has only a
high school degree is far lower at 20%
6.3 percent. 14.7%
10% 6.3% 8.5%
On average, marriage drops the 5.1%
1.7%
poverty rate by about 82 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.


Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in South Dakota
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race. 82.2%
80%
In 2008, 38.4 percent of births
in South Dakota occurred outside
marriage. The rate was lowest 70%
among non-Hispanic whites:
nearly three in ten births (27.9 60%
percent) occurred outside mar- 51.5% 52.1%
riage. Among Hispanics, over half
50%
of births were out of wedlock.
Among blacks, 52.1 percent were 38.4%
to unmarried women. The rate 40%
was highest among American
Indian women: over eight in ten 30% 27.9%
births (82.2 percent) were non-
marital.
20%

10%

0%
Human Services, Centers for Disease All Races White Hispanic Black American
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS Non- Non- Indian
data. Hispanic Hispanic


Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births
in South Dakota
In South Dakota in 2008, some ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
76.2 percent of all births occurred
to non-Hispanic whites, 16.9
percent occurred to American
Indians, and 3.8 percent occurred
to Hispanics.
76.2% White Non- 55.3%
Because blacks, Hispanics, and Hispanic
American Indians are more likely
to have children without being
married, they account for a larger
share of all out-of-wedlock births.
Even so, the largest number of
unwed births are to white non-
Hispanic women.
In South Dakota in 2008, 55.3 36.2%
percent of all non-marital births
were to non-Hispanic whites, 36.2 16.9% American Indian
percent were to American Indian
women, and 5.2 percent were to 3.8% Hispanic 5.2%
Hispanics.
1.8% Black Non-Hispanic 2.4%
Human Services, Centers for Disease 1.3% Asian/Other 0.9%
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married White Families Are Seven Times More Likely to Be Poor
in South Dakota
Marriage leads to lower poverty PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
rates for whites, blacks, Hispanics,
and American Indians.
25%
For example, in 2009, the pov- 23.3%
erty rate for married white families
in South Dakota was 3.2 percent.
But the poverty rate for non- 20%
married white families was seven
times higher at 23.3 percent.
15%

10%

5%
3.2%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Black Families Are Ten Times More Likely to Be Poor
in South Dakota
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in South
Dakota was 4.4 percent, while the
50%
poverty rate for non-married black
families was ten times higher at 42.1%
42.1 percent
40%

30%

20%

10%
4.4%

0%


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor
in South Dakota
Hispanic married families in South
Dakota was 11.3 percent, while
50%
the poverty rate among non-
married families was nearly four
times higher at 40.5 percent. 40.5%
40%

30%

20%

11.3%
10%

0%


Non-Married American Indian Families Are Three Times More Likely
to Be Poor in South Dakota
married American Indian families
in South Dakota was 19.2 percent, 58.2%
60%
while the poverty rate among
non-married families was three
times higher at 58.2 percent. 50%

40%

30%

19.2%
20%

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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Marriage Reduces Child Poverty by 87% in South Dakota

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Marriage Reduces Child Poverty by 87% in South Dakota