Marriage Poverty - Mississippi

Marriage:
Mississippi’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 Mississippi, 1929–2010
Throughout most of PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
Mississippi’s history, out-of-
wedlock childbearing was rare. 60%
54.8%
When the federal government’s
War on Poverty began in 1964,
50%
only 15.3 percent of children in
Mississippi were born out of wed-
lock. However, over the next four
decades, the number rose rapidly. 40%
By 2010, 54.8 percent of births in
Mississippi occurred outside of
marriage. 30%

20%
Note: Initiated by President Lyndon
Johnson in 1964, the War on Poverty
led to the creation of more than three
dozen welfare programs to aid poor 10%
persons. Government has spent $16.7
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 Mississippi heritage.org

Death of Marriage in Mississippi, 1929–2010
The marital birth rate — the PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN TO MARRIED COUPLES
percentage of all births that occur
to married parents — is the ﬂip 100%
side of the out-of-wedlock birth
rate. 90%
Through most of the 20th cen-
tury, marital births were the norm 80%
in Mississippi. In 1964, nearly 85
percent of births occurred to mar-
70%
ried couples.
However, in the mid-1960s, the
marital birth rate began to fall 60%
steadily. By 2010, only 45.2 per-
cent of births in Mississippi 50%
occurred to married couples. 45.2%
40%

Note: In any given year, the sum of the
out-of-wedlock birth rate (Chart 1) 30%
and the marital birth rate (Chart 2)
equals 100 percent of all births.
20%
Statistics.


In Mississippi, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty
by 82 Percent
The rapid rise in out-of- PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR
wedlock childbearing is a major 60%
cause of high levels of child pov-
erty in Mississippi. 50.4%
Some 50.4 percent of single 50%
mothers with children were poor
compared to 9.1 percent of mar-
ried couples with children. 40%
Single-parent families with
children are nearly six times more
30%
likely to be poor than families in
which the parents are married.
The higher poverty rate among 20%
single-mother families is due both
to the lower education levels of
9.1%
the mothers and the lower income 10%
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


In Mississippi, Over Four in Ten Families with Children Are Not Married

Overall, married couples head
57 percent of all families with
children in Mississippi. About 43
percent are single-parent families.

Unmarried Married
Families Families
43.0% 57.0%

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


In Mississippi, 79 Percent of Poor Families with Children
Are Not Married
Among poor families with
children in Mississippi, about
eight in ten are not married. By
contrast, only one-ﬁfth of poor
families with children are headed Married
by married couples. Families
20.5%

Unmarried
Families
79.5%



In Mississippi, 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 9.3 percent of
out-of-wedlock births in Missis- Under
sippi occur to girls under age 18. Age 18:
By contrast, some 80 percent of 9.3%
out-of-wedlock births occur to Age
young adult women between the 30–54:
ages of 18 and 29. 11.0%
Age
18–19:
Age 17.1%
25–29:
21.3%

Age
20–24:
41.3%
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 most PERCENTAGE OF BIRTHS THAT ARE MARITAL
frequently among the women who OR OUT OF WEDLOCK
will have the greatest difﬁculty
100% Unmarried
supporting children by themselves: 8.1%
those with low levels of education. 90%
Mothers
In the U.S., among women who 42.0%
are high school dropouts, about 65.2 80%
percent of all births occur outside 54.5%
marriage. Among women who have 70%
only a high school diploma, well 65.2%
over half of all births occur outside 60% Married
91.9%
marriage. By contrast, among
50% Mothers
women with at least a college
degree, only 8.1 percent of births are 40%
out of wedlock. 58.0%
30%
45.5%
Note: Specific data on out-of-wedlock 20%
births and maternal education are not 34.8%
available in Mississippi. However, the 10%
pattern varies little between states. Missis-
sippi data will be very similar to the 0%
national data presented in this chart. High School High School Some College Mother’s
Dropout Graduate College Graduate education
Source: U.S. Department of Health and (0–11 (12 (13–15 (16+ level
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data.
Years) Years) Years) Years)


Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective
in Reducing Child Poverty in Mississippi
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.
80%
This is true even when the married
couple is compared to single par- 70.5%
70%
ents with the same education level.
60%
For example, in Mississippi, the 53.7%
poverty rate for a single mother 50%
who has only a high school
41.5%
diploma is 53.7 percent, but the 40%
poverty rate for a married couple
family headed by an individual 30% 29.5%
who, similarly, has only a high
school degree is far lower at 11.4 20%
11.4% 13.7%
percent.
10%
5.4%
On average, marriage drops the 1.6%
poverty rate by about 78 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 Mississippi
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race.
In 2008, 54.5 percent of births 100%
in Mississippi occurred outside 8.3%
90%
marriage. The rate was lowest
among non-Hispanic whites at 80.5%
80%
nearly one in three births (31.8
percent). Among Hispanics, nearly 70%
six in ten births were out-of-
wedlock. Among blacks, over 60% 59.0%
54.5%
eight in ten births were to unmar-
ried women (80.5 percent). 50%

40%
31.8%
30%

20%

10%

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


Growth of Unwed Childbearing by Race in Mississippi, 1929–2008
Historically, out-of-wedlock PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
childbearing has been somewhat
more frequent among blacks than 100%
among whites. However, prior to
90%
the onset of the federal Black Non-
government’s War on Poverty in Hispanic
80%
1964, the rates for both whites and 80.5%
blacks were comparatively low.
70%
In 1964, around one in ﬁfty
Hispanic
white children (1.9 percent) were 60%
59.0%
born outside marriage. By 2008,
the number had risen to almost 50%
one in three (31.8 percent).
40%
In 1964, about one in four black White Non-
children (26.7 percent) were born Hispanic
30%
outside marriage. By 2008, the 31.8%
number had risen to over eight in
20%
ten (80.5 percent).
10%

0%
Statistics.


Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births
in Mississippi
ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
In Mississippi in 2008, some
50.3 percent of all births occurred
to non-Hispanic whites, 44.1
percent occurred to non-Hispanic
blacks, and 3.9 percent occurred 50.3% White Non- 29.3%
to Hispanics. Hispanic
Because blacks and Hispanics
are more likely to have children
without being married, they
account for a disproportionately
larger share of all out-of-wedlock
births.
In Mississippi in 2008, 65.2 65.2%
percent of non-marital births Black Non-
occurred to black non-Hispanic Hispanic
women, 29.3 percent of all non-
44.1%
marital births were to non-
Hispanic whites, and 4.2 percent
were to Hispanics.

3.9% Hispanic 4.2%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and 1.7% Asian/Other 1.3%
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married White Families Are Five Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Mississippi
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 26.0%
in Mississippi was 5.2 percent. But 25%
the poverty rate for non-married
white families was ﬁve times
higher at 26 percent. 20%

15%

10%

5.2%
5%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Black Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Mississippi
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in
Mississippi was 12.1 percent,
60%
while the poverty rate for non-
married black families was four
times higher at 49.2 percent. 49.2%
50%

40%

30%

20%

12.1%
10%

0%


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Nearly Three Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Mississippi
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
Hispanic married families in Mis-
sissippi was 20.2 percent, while
60%
the poverty rate among non-
married families was nearly three 52.0%
times higher at 52 percent.
50%

40%

30%

20.2%
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 Poverty - Mississippi

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