Marriage Poverty - Texas

Marriage:
Texas’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 Texas, 1933–2010
Throughout most of Texas’ PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
history, out-of-wedlock
childbearing was rare. 50%

When the federal government’s
War on Poverty began in 1964, 42.4%
only 6.4 percent of children in 40%
Texas were born out of wedlock.
However, over the next four
decades, the number rose rapidly.
By 2010, 42.4 percent of births in 30%
Texas occurred outside of
marriage.

20%

Note: Initiated by President Lyndon
Johnson in 1964, the War on Poverty
led to the creation of more than three 10%
dozen welfare programs to aid poor
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 Texas heritage.org

Death of Marriage in Texas, 1933–2010
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.
Through most of the 20th cen- 90%
tury, marital births were the norm
in Texas. In 1964, 93.6 percent of
births occurred to married
couples. 80%
However, in the mid-1960s, the
marital birth rate began to fall
steadily. By 2010, only 57.6 per-
70%
cent of births in Texas occurred to
married couples.

60%
Note: In any given year, the sum of the 57.6%
out-of-wedlock birth rate (Chart 1)
and the marital birth rate (Chart 2)
equals 100 percent of all births.
50%
Statistics.


In Texas, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty
by 74 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
Texas.
Some 40.5 percent of single 40.5%
40%
mothers with children were poor
compared to 10.6 percent of
married couples with children.
Single-parent families with 30%
children are nearly four times
more likely to be poor than
families in which the parents are 20%
married.
The higher poverty rate among
10.6%
single-mother families is due both
10%
to the lower education levels of
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


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

Overall, married couples head
two-thirds of families with
children in Texas. One-third are
single-parent families.

Unmarried
Families
33.2%
Married
Families
66.8%

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


In Texas, 63 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

Among poor families with
children in Texas, about six in ten
are not married. By contrast,
37.4% of poor families with
children are headed by married
couples.
Married
Families
37.4%
Unmarried
Families
62.6%



In Texas, 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 10.7 percent of
out-of-wedlock births in Texas Under
occur to girls under age 18. Age 18:
By contrast, some 74 percent of 10.7%
out-of-wedlock births occur to Age
young adult women between the 30–54:
ages of 18 and 29. 15.2%
Age
18–19:
Age 16.3%
25–29:
20.8%

Age
20–24:
37.0%
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%
7.2% Unmarried
difﬁculty supporting children by
90%
Mothers
themselves: those with low levels
of education. 36.4%
80%
In Texas among women who are 52.9%
high school dropouts, about 60 70%
59.9%
percent of all births occur outside 60%
marriage. Among women who 92.8% Married
have only a high school diploma, 50% Mothers
about 53 percent of all births
occur outside marriage. By con- 40%
63.6%
trast, among women with at least a 30%
college degree, only 7.2 percent of 47.1%
births are out of wedlock. 20%
40.1%
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 Texas
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- 61.4%
60%
ents with the same education level.
For example, in Texas, the pov- 50%
erty rate for a single mother who 42.0%
has only a high school diploma is 40%
42 percent, but the poverty rate for
a married couple family headed by 30.5% 29.5%
30%
an individual who, similarly, has
only a high school degree is far 20%
lower at 13.1 percent. 13.1% 11.0%
On average, marriage drops the 10% 6.0%
poverty rate by about 69 percent 2.5%
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 Texas
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race.
80%
In 2008, 41.7 percent of births
in Texas occurred outside mar- 8.3%
riage. The rate was lowest among 70% 66.5%
non-Hispanic whites at about one
in four births (26.7 percent). 60%
Among Hispanics, about half of
births were out-of-wedlock. 49.0%
50%
Among blacks, about two-thirds of
births were to unmarried women 41.7%
(66.5 percent). 40%

30% 26.7%

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 Texas, 1933–2008
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
Black Non-
the onset of the federal 70% Hispanic
government’s War on Poverty in 66.5%
1964, the rates for both whites and
60%
blacks were comparatively low.
In 1964, about one in thirty (3.4 Hispanic
50%
percent) white children were born 49.0%
outside marriage. By 2008, the
number had risen to about one in 40%
four (26.7 percent).
In 1964, more than one in ﬁve 30% White Non-
black children (22.1 percent) were Hispanic
born outside marriage. By 2008, 26.7%
20%
the number had risen to over two
in three (66.5 percent).
10%

0%
Statistics.


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

In Texas in 2008, some 50.1 ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
percent of all births occurred to
Hispanics, 34.4 percent occurred
to non-Hispanic whites, and 11.3
percent occurred to non-Hispanic
blacks.
Because blacks and Hispanics
are more likely to have children 50.1% Hispanic 58.7%
without being married, they
account for a disproportionately
larger share of all out-of-wedlock
births.
In Texas in 2008, 58.7 percent of
all non-marital births were to
Hispanics, 22 percent were to
white non-Hispanic women, and 34.4% White Non- 22.0%
18.1 percent were to non-Hispanic Hispanic
blacks.
Black Non-
11.3% 18.1%
Hispanic
Source: U.S. Department of Health and 4.2% Asian/Other 1.2%
Human Services, Centers for Disease
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married White Families Are Seven Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Texas
Marriage leads to lower poverty PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
rates for whites, blacks, and
Hispanics in Texas.
25%
For example, in 2009, the
poverty rate for married white 20.4%
families in Texas was 2.8 percent.
But the poverty rate for 20%
non-married white families was
more than seven times higher at
20.4 percent. 15%

10%

5%
2.8%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Black Families Are Five Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Texas
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in Texas
was 7.1 percent, while the poverty
40%
rate for non-married black families
was nearly ﬁve times higher at 34.5%
34.5 percent.

30%

20%

10%
7.1%

0%


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are About Three Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Texas
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
Hispanic married families in Texas
was 16.5 percent, while the
50%
poverty rate among non-married
families was about three times 42.8%
higher at 42.8 percent.
40%

30%

20%
16.5%

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 - Texas

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