Is Marriage the Key to Prosperity?

Ericka Andersen / October 18, 2012

What’s the number one antidote to child poverty in America? Marriage.

The truth is that children born to married-parent families are 82 percent less likely to live in poverty. The most effective weapon against child poverty is within our reach.

Last week during the second presidential debate, former Governor Mitt Romney encouraged Americans to consider marriage before children:

I’ll tell you, it is a huge advantage to have a mom and a dad that can share the financial resources to help their kids, work in the home to help each child with a little time devoted to each child.

It’s true. As research shows, children raised in intact families are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior and are protected from a variety of other negative outcomes.

Unfortunately, unwed childbearing is at an all-time high. More than 40 percent of children are born to single women today.

Statistics show that 71 percent of children living in poor families do not have married parents. It is imperative that government begin taking active steps to strengthen marriage – which is crucial for America’s prosperity in the next generation.