Marriage & Poverty: New Mexico

Marriage:
New Mexico’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 • January 2012

Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society

Growth of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in New Mexico, 1929–2010
In 2010, 52.3 percent of births PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK
in New Mexico occurred outside of
marriage. This was the second high- 55%
52.3%
est unwed birth rate in the nation.
This was not always the case. 50%
Before World War II, only four
percent of children in New Mexico 45%
were born outside marriage. As late 40.8%
as 1980, the number was only 16 40%
percent. However, over the last three
decades, unwed births in the state 35% New
have skyrocketed, rising well above Mexico
the national average. 30%
National
Note: Data on non-marital births in New 25%
Mexico are unavailable between 1943 and
1979. However, all states that have data for 20%
this period show rates which parallel the
national trend shown in the chart. In these
15%
states, the non-marital birth rates remained
low until the onset of the federal War on
Poverty in the mid-1960s, and then began 10%
to rise steadily. The New Mexico rate
between 1943 and 1979 very likely paral- 5%
lels the overall national trend.
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 New Mexico heritage.org

In New Mexico, Marriage Drops the Probability
of Child Poverty by 75 Percent
The rapid rise in out-of- PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN THAT ARE POOR
wedlock childbearing is a major 50%
cause of high levels of child pov-
erty in New Mexico. 45% 42.9%
Some 42.9 percent of single
40%
mothers with children were poor
compared to 10.6 percent of mar- 35%
ried couples with children.
Single-parent families with 30%
children are four times more likely
25%
to be poor than families in which
the parents are married. 20%
The higher poverty rate among
single-mother families is due both 15%
10.6%
to the lower education levels of
10%
the mothers and the lower income
due to the absence of the father. 5%

0%
Single-Parent, Married,Two-Parent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Female-Headed Families
Community Survey, 2007–2009 data. Families


In New Mexico, Four in Ten Families with Children Are Not Married

Overall, married couples head
about six in ten families with
children in New Mexico. Four in
ten are single-parent families.

Unmarried
Families
40.1%
Married
Families
59.9%

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


In New Mexico, 70 Percent of Poor Families with Children
Are Not Married
Among poor families with
children in New Mexico, seven in
ten are not married. By contrast,
only 29.6 percent of poor families
with children are headed by
married couples. Married
Families
29.6%

Unmarried
Families
70.4%



In New Mexico, Few Unwed Births Occur to Teenagers
Out-of-wedlock births are PERCENTAGE OF OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
often confused erroneously BY AGE OF MOTHER
with teen births, but only 9.7
percent of out-of-wedlock Under
births in New Mexico occur to Age 18:
girls under age 18. 9.7%
By contrast, some 75 percent
Age
of out-of-wedlock births occur
30–54:
to young adult women between 15.4%
the ages of 18 and 29. Age
18–19:
15.7%
Age
25–29:
21.4%
Age
20–24:
37.8%

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 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% Unmarried
difﬁculty supporting children by 15.6%
90%
Mothers
themselves: those with low levels
of education. 44.2%
80%
In New Mexico, among women 61.2%
who are high school dropouts, 70%
71.5%
about 71.5 percent of all births 60%
occur outside marriage. Among 84.4% Married
women who have only a high 50% Mothers
school diploma, three in ﬁve births
occur outside marriage. By con- 40%
55.8%
trast, among women with at least a 30%
college degree, only 15.6 percent 38.8%
of births are out of wedlock. 20%
28.5%
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 (16+
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS (0–11 (12 (13–15 level
data. Years) Years) Years) Years)


Both Marriage and Education Are Highly Effective in Reducing
Child Poverty in New Mexico
The poverty rate of married PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES Poverty Rate of Families by
WITH CHILDREN THAT Single
couples with children is dramati- Education and Marital Status
ARE POOR Married
cally lower than the rate for house- of the Head of Household
holds headed by single parents. 70%
This is true even when the married 66.2%
couple is compared to single par- 60%
ents with the same education level.
For example, in New Mexico, 50%
the poverty rate for a single 40.9%
mother who has only a high 40%
school diploma is 40.9 percent, 34.6%
but the poverty rate for a married 30.2%
30%
couple family headed by an indi-
vidual who, similarly, has only a 20%
high school degree is far lower at 14.1% 13.1%
14.1 percent. 10% 6.3%
On average, marriage drops the 2.3%
poverty rate by around 71 percent 0%
among families with the same High School High School Some College
Dropout Graduate College Graduate
education level.
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 New Mexico
Out-of-wedlock childbearing PERCENT OF BIRTHS THAT ARE OUT OF WEDLOCK
varies considerably by race.
100%
In 2008 (the most recent year
for which racial breakdown is 8.3%
90%
available), more than half of all
births (52.9 percent) in New 80% 77.6%
Mexico occurred outside marriage.
The rate was lowest among non- 70%
Hispanic whites. Among that 60.5%
group around three in ten births 60% 58.8%
were non-marital. 52.9%
50%
Among Hispanics, nearly six in
ten (58.8 percent) births were out 40%
of wedlock. Among blacks, over 31.9%
six in ten births (60.5 percent) 30%
were to unmarried women.
Among American Indians, nearly 20%
eight in ten (77.6 percent) births
were out of wedlock. 10%

0%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and
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 New Mexico
In New Mexico in 2008, some ALL BIRTHS OUT-OF-WEDLOCK BIRTHS
56 percent of all births occurred to
Hispanics, 28.1 percent occurred
to non-Hispanic whites, and 12.2
percent occurred to American
Indians.
Because Hispanics and Ameri-
can Indians are more likely to have
children without being married, 56.0% Hispanic 62.2%
they account for disproportion-
ately larger shares of all out-of-
wedlock births.
In New Mexico in 2008, 62.2
percent of all non-marital births
were to Hispanics, 18 percent were
to American Indian women, and 28.1% White Non-
17.0%
17 percent were to white non- Hispanic
Hispanic women.
American Indian 18.0%
12.2%
Source: U.S. Department of Health and 2.1% Asian/Other 1.0%
1.6% Black Non-Hispanic 2.0%
Human Services, Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, 2008 NHS
data. Note: Figures have been rounded.


Non-Married Hispanic Families Are Three Times More Likely to Be Poor
in New Mexico
In New Mexico, marriage leads PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
to lower poverty rates for Hispan-
ics, American Indians, whites, and
blacks. 45%

For example, in 2009, the pov- 40% 38.7%
erty rate for Hispanic married
families in New Mexico was 12 35%
percent, while the poverty rate
among non-married Hispanic 30%
families was more than three times
higher at 38.7 percent. 25%

20%

15%
12.0%
10%

5%

0%
Married Families Non-Married Families


Non-Married American Indian Families Are Nearly Three Times
More Likely to Be Poor in New Mexico
In 2009, the poverty rate for PERCENTAGE OF FAMILIES THAT ARE POOR
married American Indian families
in New Mexico was 15.3 percent,
45%
while the poverty rate among
non-married families was nearly
40% 38.2%
three times higher at 38.2 percent.
35%

30%

25%

20%
15.3%
15%

10%

5%

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


Non-Married White Families Are Seven Times More Likely to Be Poor
in New Mexico
married white families in New
Mexico was 3.2 percent. But the 25%
poverty rate for non-married white
22.4%
families was seven times higher at
22.4 percent.
20%

15%

10%

5%
3.2%

0%


Non-Married Black Families Are Four Times More Likely to Be Poor
in New Mexico
married black couples in New
Mexico was 8.7 percent, while the
45%
poverty rate for non-married black
families was four times higher at 38.3%
40%
38.3 percent.
35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10% 8.7%

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.

The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institution—a think tank—whose mission is to
formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited gov-
ernment, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.
Our vision is to build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society ﬂourish. As
conservatives, we believe the values and ideas that motivated our Founding Fathers are worth conserving.
As policy entrepreneurs, we believe the most effective solutions are consistent with those ideas and values.

214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE • Washington, D.C. 20002 • (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org

Marriage & Poverty: New Mexico

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Marriage & Poverty: New Mexico

Similar to Marriage & Poverty: New Mexico (20)

More from The Heritage Foundation

More from The Heritage Foundation (12)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (10)

Marriage & Poverty: New Mexico