Marriage Poverty - Oregon

Marriage:
Oregon’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

Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in Oregon, 1929–2010
Throughout most of Oregon’s PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
history, out-of-wedlock childbear-
ing was rare. 40%

When the federal government’s
35% 35.7%
War on Poverty began in 1964,
only 5 percent of children in
Oregon were born out of wedlock. 30%
However, over the next four
decades, the number rose rapidly.
By 2010, 35.7 percent of births in 25%
Oregon occurred outside of mar-
riage. 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 Oregon heritage.org

Death of Marriage in Oregon, 1934–2010
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 Oregon. In 1964, nearly 95 90%
percent of births occurred to
married couples.
However, in the mid-1960s, the
marital birth rate began to fall
steadily. By 2010, only 64.3 per- 80%
cent of births in Oregon occurred
to married couples.

70%

Note: In any given year, the sum of the
out-of-wedlock birth rate (Chart 1) 64.3%
and the marital birth rate (Chart 2)
equals 100 percent of all births.
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 Oregon, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty
by 82 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
Oregon.
Some 38.1 percent of single 38.1%
40%
mothers with children are poor
compared to 6.7 percent of mar-
ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with 30%
children are nearly six 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% 6.7%
the mothers and the lower income
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


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

Overall, married couples head
about two-thirds of families with
children in Oregon. About
one-third are single-parent
families. Unmarried
Families
31.3%

Married
Families
68.7%

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


In Oregon, 70 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

Among poor families with
children in Oregon, about seven in
ten are not married. By contrast,
30.5 percent of poor families with
children are headed by married
couples. Married
Families
30.5%

Unmarried
Families
69.5%



In Oregon, 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 7.2 percent of
out-of-wedlock births in Oregon Under
occur to girls under age 18. Age 18:
By contrast, some 75 percent of 7.2%
out-of-wedlock births occur to
Age
young adult women between the 30–54:
ages of 18 and 29. 18.3% Age
18–19:
14.1%

Age
25–29:
23.6%
Age
20–24:
36.8%
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 Oregon Are More Likely to Give Birth
Outside 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%
7.3% Unmarried
difﬁculty supporting children by Mothers
themselves: those with low levels 90%
of education. 31.4%
80%
In Oregon among women who 49.3%
are high school dropouts, about 70%
60.6%
60.6 percent of all births occur 60%
outside marriage. Among women
who have only a high school 50%
Married
diploma, about half of all births 92.7%
40% Mothers
occur outside marriage. By con- 68.6%
trast, among women with at least a 30%
college degree, only 7.3 percent of 50.7%
births are out of wedlock. 20% 39.4%
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 Oregon
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 house- ARE POOR Married
of the Head of Household
holds headed by single parents. 70%
This is true even when the married
couple is compared to single par- 60% 59.2%
ents with the same education level.
For example, in Oregon, the 50%
poverty rate for a single mother
who has only a high school 40%
39.9%
diploma is 39.9 percent, but the 32.5%
poverty rate for a married couple 30%
family headed by an individual 21.7%
who, similarly, has only a high 20%
school degree is far lower at 12.4%
8.3 percent. 10% 8.3%
5.0%
On average, marriage drops the 2.5%
poverty rate by about 77 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 Oregon
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race.
70%
In 2008, 36.1 percent of births
in Oregon occurred outside mar- 8.3% 63.2%
riage. The rate was lowest among 60%
non-Hispanic whites at around
one in three births (32 percent). 49%
Among Hispanics, nearly half of 50%
births were out of wedlock.
Among blacks, over six in ten
40% 36.1%
births were to unmarried women
(63.2 percent). 32%
30%

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 Oregon, 1934–2008
Historically, out-of-wedlock PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
childbearing has been somewhat
more frequent among blacks than 80%
among whites. However, prior to
the onset of the federal 70% Black Non-
government’s War on Poverty in
Hispanic
1964, the rates for both whites and 63.2%
blacks were comparatively low. 60%

In 1964, around one in twenty Hispanic
(4.6 percent) white children were 50%
49.0%
born outside marriage. By 2008,
the number had risen to nearly 40%
one in three (32 percent).
White Non-
In 1964, less than one in six 30% Hispanic
black children (15.8 percent) were 32.0%
born outside marriage. By 2008,
20%
the number had risen to over six
in ten (63.2 percent).
10%

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


Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births in Oregon
In Oregon in 2008, some 69.4 ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
percent of all births occurred to
non-Hispanic whites, 21.1 percent
occurred to Hispanics, and 2.5
percent occurred to non-Hispanic
blacks.
Because blacks and Hispanics
are more likely to have children
without being married, they 69.4% White Non- 61.5%
account for disproportionately Hispanic
larger shares of all out-of-wedlock
births. Even so, the largest number
of unwed births in Oregon are to
white non-Hispanic women.
In Oregon in 2008, 61.5 percent
of all non-marital births were to
non-Hispanic whites, 28.7 percent
28.7%
were to Hispanics, and 4.3 percent 21.1% Black Non-
were to black non-Hispanic Hispanic
women.
7% Asian/Other 5.5%
Hispanic
Source: U.S. Department of Health and 2.5% 4.3%
Human Services, Centers for Disease
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married White Families Are Seven Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Oregon
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-
erty rate for married white families 25.5%
in Oregon was 3.8 percent. But the 25%
poverty rate for non-married white
families was nearly seven times
higher at 25.5 percent. 20%

15%

10%

5% 3.8%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Black Families Are Six Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Oregon
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in Oregon
was 6.8 percent, while the poverty
50%
rate for non-married black families
was six times higher at 41.4 per-
cent. 41.4%
40%

30%

20%

10% 6.8%

0%


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Nearly Four Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Oregon
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
Hispanic married families in
Oregon was 13.4 percent, while
40% 50.2%
the poverty rate among non-
married families was about four
times higher at 50.2 percent. 35%

30%

25%

20%

15% 13.4%

10%

5%

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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