Marriage Poverty - Arizona

Marriage:
Arizona’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 Arizona, 1929–2010
Throughout most of Arizona’s PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
history, out-of-wedlock childbear-
ing was rare. 50%

In 1968, just four years after the 44.9%
federal government began the War
on Poverty, only 10.1 percent of 40.8%
40%
children in Arizona were born
outside marriage. However, over Arizona
the next ﬁve decades, the number
National
rose rapidly. By 2010, 44.9 percent 30%
of births in Arizona occurred
outside of marriage.

20%
Note: Data on non-marital births in
Arizona are unavailable between 1945
an 1967. However, all states that do
have data for this period show a rapid
growth in non-marital childbearing 10%
from the mid-1960s on. The Arizona
trend during this period undoubtedly
parallels the national trend shown in
the chart.
0%
Sources: U.S. Government, U.S. Census
Bureau, and National Center for 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Health Statistics.

Chart 1 • Marriage and Poverty in Arizona heritage.org

In Arizona, Marriage Drops the Probability of Child Poverty
by 73 Percent
The rapid rise in out-of- PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR
wedlock child bearing is a major 50%
cause of high levels of child pov-
erty in Arizona.
Some 35.4 percent of single
40%
mothers with children were poor 35.4%
compared to 9.4 percent of mar-
ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with 30%
children are about four times
more likely to be poor than fami-
lies in which the parents are mar- 20%
ried.
The higher poverty rate among
single-mother families is due both 9.4%
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 Arizona, Over One-Third of All Families with Children
Are Not Married
Overall, married couples head
about two-thirds of families with
children in Arizona. Over
one-third are single-parent
families.

Unmarried
Families
34.8%
Married
Families
65.2%

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


In Arizona, 64 Percent of Poor Families with Children Are Not Married

Among poor families with
children in Arizona, nearly
two-thirds are not married. By
contrast, 36.2 percent of poor
families with children are headed
by married couples.
Married
Families
36.2%
Unmarried
Families
63.8%



In Arizona, 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 9.1 percent of
out-of-wedlock births in Arizona Under
occur to girls under age 18. Age 18:
By contrast, some 73 percent of 9.1%
out-of-wedlock births occur to Age
young adult women between the 30–54:
ages of 18 and 29. 18.0%
Age
18–19:
14.7%

Age
25–29:
22.7%
Age
20–24:
35.5%

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%
difﬁculty supporting children by 8.1% Unmarried
themselves: those with low levels 90%
Mothers
of education. 42.0%
In the U.S., among women who 80%
are high school dropouts, about 54.5%
70%
65.2 percent of all births occur 65.2%
outside marriage. Among women 60%
who have only a high school 91.9%
diploma, well over half of all births 50%
Married
occur outside marriage. By con-
40% Mothers
trast, among women with at least a 58.0%
college degree, only 8.1 percent of
30%
births are out of wedlock. 45.5%
Note: Specific data on out-of-wedlock 20%
births and maternal education are not
34.8%
available in Arizona. However, the pattern 10%
varies little between states. Arizona data
will be very similar to the national data 0%
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
Human Services, Centers for Disease Years) Years) Years) Years)
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS data.


Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective
in Reducing Child Poverty in Arizona
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. 60%
This is true even when the married 56.3%
couple is compared to single par-
ents with the same education level. 50%

For example, in Arizona, the
poverty rate for a single mother 40%
who has only a high school 33.9%
diploma is 33.9 percent, but the 30% 26.9%
poverty rate for a married couple 24.4%
family headed by an individual
20%
who, similarly, has only a high
school degree is far lower at 12.1 12.1% 10.7%
percent. 10%
5.1%
On average, marriage drops the 1.9%
poverty rate by around 69 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 Arizona
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race.
80% 77.0%
In 2008 (the most recent year
for which racial breakdown is 8.3%
available), 45.3 percent of all 70%
births in Arizona occurred outside 62.8%
marriage. 60% 56.5%
The rate was lowest among
non-Hispanic whites: three in ten 50%
births in this group were non- 45.3%
marital. Among Hispanics, 56.5
40%
percent of births were out-of-
wedlock. 29.7%
30%
Among blacks, well over six in
ten births were to unmarried
women. Among American Indi- 20%
ans, over three in four (77 per-
cent) births were out-of-wedlock. 10%

Source: U.S. Department of Health and 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 Arizona
In Arizona in 2008, some 43.6 ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
percent of all births occurred to
Hispanics, 42.4 percent occurred
to non-Hispanic whites, 6 percent
occurred to American Indians, and
4.1 percent occurred to non-
Hispanic blacks. 43.6%
Because blacks, Hispanics, and 54.4%
American Indians are more likely Hispanic
to have children without being
married, they account for dispro-
portionately larger shares of all
out-of-wedlock births.
In 2008, 54.4 percent of all
non-marital births in Arizona were
to Hispanics, 27.8 percent were to 42.4% White Non- 27.8%
white non-Hispanic women, 10.2 Hispanic
percent were to American Indians,
and 5.7 percent were to black 10.2%
6.0% American Indian
non-Hispanic women.
4.1% Black Non-Hispanic 5.7%
3.9% Asian/Other 2.0%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married White Families Are Six Times More Likely to Be Poor
in Arizona
Marriage leads to lower poverty PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
rates for whites, blacks, and His-
panics.
20%
For example, in 2009, the pov- 17.8%
erty rate for married white families
in Arizona was 3.2 percent. But
the poverty rate for non-married
15%
white families was nearly six times
higher at 17.8 percent.

10%

5%
3.2%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Black Families Are Nearly Five Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Arizona
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married black couples in Arizona
was 6.9 percent, while the poverty
40%
rate for non-married black families
was nearly ﬁve times higher at
30.9 percent.
30.9%
30%

20%

10%
6.9%

0%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Almost Three Times More Likely
to Be Poor in Arizona
Hispanic married families in Ari-
zona was 14.9 percent, while the
50%
poverty rate among non-married
families was nearly three times
higher at 40 percent. 40.0%
40%

30%

20%
14.9%

10%

0%


Non-Married American Indian Families Are Twice as Likely to Be Poor
in Arizona
American Indian married families
in Arizona was 17.9 percent, while 50%
the poverty rate among non-
married families was more than
twice as high at 39.3 percent. 39.3%
40%

30%

20% 17.9%

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 - Arizona

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