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Marriage: Nevada’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

Marriage Poverty - Nevada

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Page 1: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Marriage:Nevada’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

Page 2: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in Nevada, 1929–2010

PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK

heritage.orgChart 1 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

44.3%

40.8%

National

Nevada

Throughout most of Nevada’s history, out-of-wedlock childbearing was rare.

In 1964, after the federal govern-ment began the War on Poverty, only 5.2 percent of children in Nevada were born outside marriage. How-ever, over the next five decades, the number rose rapidly. By 2010, 44.3 percent of births in Nevada occurred outside of marriage.

Note: Data on non-marital births in Nevada are unavailable from 1945 to 1948 and from 1971 to 1979. How-ever, all states that do have data for this period show a rapid growth in non-marital childbearing from the mid-1960s on. The Nevada trend during this period undoubtedly parallels the national trend shown in the chart. Due to changes in administrative proce-dures, the Nevada data in 1995 and 1996 are unreliable.

Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census Bureau, and National Center for Health Statistics.

Page 3: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

In Nevada, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty by 78 Percent

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

heritage.orgChart 2 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Single-Parent, Female-Headed

Families

Married, Two-Parent Families

29.9%

6.5%

The rapid rise in out-of-wedlock childbearing is a major cause of high levels of child poverty in Nevada.

Some 29.9 percent of single mothers with children were poor compared to 6.5 percent of mar-ried couples with children.

Single-parent families with children are nearly five times more likely to be poor than families in which the parents are married.

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.

Page 4: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

In Nevada, One-Third of All Families with Children Are Not Married

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

heritage.orgChart 3 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

65.2%

34.8%

Unmarried Families

Married Families

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

Page 5: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

In Nevada, Two-Thirds of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

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

heritage.orgChart 4 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

33.3%

66.7%

Unmarried Families

Married Families

Among poor families with children in Nevada, two-thirds are not married. By contrast, only one-third of poor families with children are headed by married couples.

Page 6: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

In Nevada, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers

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 Nevada

PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS BY AGE OF MOTHER

Age18–19:13.3%

Age20–24:33.9%

Age25–29:23.9%

Age30–54:20.6%

UnderAge 18:8.3%

Out-of-wedlock births are often confused erroneously with teen births, but only 8.3 percent of out-of-wedlock births in Nevada occur to girls under age 18.

By contrast, some 71 percent of out-of-wedlock births occur to young adult women between the ages of 18 and 29.

Page 7: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Less-Educated Women Are More Likely to Give Birth Outside of Marriage

heritage.orgChart 6 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

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%

58.0%

91.9%

Mother’s education level

Unmarried Mothers

Married Mothers

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 contrast, among women with at least a college degree, only 8.1 percent of births are out of wedlock.

Note: Specific data on out-of-wedlock births and maternal education are not available in Nevada. However, the pattern varies little between states. Nevada data will be very similar to the national data presented in this chart.

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

Page 8: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective in Reducing Child Poverty in Nevada

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2005–2009 data.

heritage.orgChart 7 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

High School Dropout

High School Graduate

SomeCollege

College Graduate

42.6%

18.1%

25.0%

6.3%

18.6%

3.4%

8.4%

2.3%

Note: Virtually none of the heads of families in the chart who are high school dropouts are minor teenagers.

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 Nevada, the poverty rate for a single mother who has only a high school diploma is 25 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 6.3 percent.

On average, marriage drops the poverty rate by around 72 percent among families with the same education level.

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR

Poverty Rate of Families by Education and Marital Status of the Head of Household

Single Married

Page 9: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Unwed Birth Rates Vary Strongly by Race in Nevada

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 Nevada

PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

All Races White Non-

Hispanic

Hispanic BlackNon-

Hispanic

42.5%

30.4%

50.9%

71.0%8.3%

Out-of-wedlock childbearing varies considerably by race.

In 2008 (the most recent year for which racial breakdown is available), 42.5 percent of births in Nevada occurred outside marriage. The rate was lowest among non-Hispanic whites. Within that group around three in ten births were non-marital.

Among Hispanics, about half of births were out of wedlock. Among blacks, seven in ten were to unmarried women.

Page 10: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Racial Composition of All Births and Out-of-Wedlock Births in Nevada

ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS

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

heritage.orgChart 9 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

Note: Figures have been rounded.

41.1% White Non-Hispanic

American Indian/Other

Black Non-Hispanic

Hispanic38.9%

9.1% 15.2%

8.0%2.9% 3.9%

29.4%

46.5%

5.0%Asian

In Nevada in 2008, some 41.1 percent of all births occurred to non-Hispanic whites, 38.9 percent occurred to Hispanics, and 9.1 percent occurred to non-Hispanic blacks.

Because blacks and Hispanics are more likely to have children without being married, they account for disproportionately larger shares of all out-of-wedlock births.

In Nevada in 2008, 46.5 percent of all non-marital births were to Hispanic women, 29.4 percent were to white non-Hispanic women, and 15.2 percent were to black non-Hispanic women.

Page 11: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Non-Married White Families Are Seven Times More Likely to Be Poor in Nevada

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

heritage.orgChart 10 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

Married Families Non-Married Families

2.4%

16.9%

Marriage leads to lower poverty rates for whites, blacks, and His-panics.

For example, in 2009, the pov-erty rate for married white families in Nevada was 2.4 percent, but the poverty rate for non-married white families was seven times higher at 16.9 percent.

Page 12: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Non-Married Black Families Are Five Times More Likely to Be Poor in Nevada

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

heritage.orgChart 11 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Married Families Non-Married Families

6.1%

29.9%

In 2009, the poverty rate for married black couples in Nevada was 6.1 percent, while the poverty rate for non-married black families was five times higher at 29.9 percent.

Page 13: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Three Times More Likely to Be Poor in Nevada

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

heritage.orgChart 12 • Marriage and Poverty in Nevada

PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Married Families Non-Married Families

10.8%

33.1%

In 2009, the poverty rate for Hispanic married families in Nevada was 10.8 percent, while the poverty rate among non-married families was three times higher at 33.1 percent.

Page 14: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

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.

Page 15: Marriage Poverty - Nevada

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