Study shows that a continuation of recent declines in single parenthood, linked most recently to declines in teen and out-of-wedlock births, offers great promise for improving the economic welfare of U.S. children.

• The authors of this article show how differing living arrangements can be expected to affect families’ economic well-being, and therefore have an effect on the child poverty rate. Along with other studies, this study revealed that married-parent and cohabiting households fare better financially than single-parent households because they benefit from economies of scale and from having two adult earners. National data on family income show that across all races, and, for a variety of income measures, children in lone-parent families have less family income and are more likely to be poor than children in married-parent families. Additional research that simulated marriage between existing single mothers and unattached men suggests that family structure does affect family resources and that child poverty rates would drop substantially if single mothers chose marriage over single life. In light of this data, the researchers conclude that married households are effective in reducing child poverty. Furthermore, the recent observed decline in single parenthood in this country is a very promising trend in improving the economic welfare of U.S. children.¹

¹For Love and Money? The Impact of Family Structure on Family Income, The Future of Children, Vol. 15, No. 2, Fall 2005, pp. 57-74.

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