Marriage and poverty
FREE Catholic Classes
Hymowitz wrote Marriage and Caste in America, whose findings were recently summarized by Father John Flynn on Zenit.
She demonstrates how the breakdown of the family isn't just a personal tragedy for those involved. It's an economic disaster for them - which means it affects us all.
A combination of divorce and out-of-wedlock births is producing a nation of separate and unequal families, and leaving millions of children at a severe disadvantage.
It used to be unthinkable for women to have children outside of wedlock - and just as unusual for couples to divorce.
But the upheaval of the 1960s changed both those situations. Divorce became much more common, and having children outside of marriage became more common right along with it.
By the turn of the 21st century, the situation had changed dramatically - but not uniformly.
Among college-educated mothers, only 10 percent were living without husbands.
Among mothers with less education than that, 36 percent were living without husbands.
By 2004, 1 in 3 births was to a single mother. But of those, the vast majority had low levels of education and were poor.
The elevated number of single mothers goes a long way toward explaining the persistently high level of poverty among children in the United States, according to Hymowitz. No fewer than 36 percent of female-headed families live below the poverty line, compared with 6 percent of married couples.
It's a vicious circle.
Life is hard for the women caught in this situation. It isn't often better for their children. They have lower grades and educational qualifications compared to children who grow up with married parents. This holds true even after allowing for differences in race, family background and IQ.
And so, these children are also likely to earn less and have a lower occupational status.
Thus are the social and economic inequalities of one generation perpetuated in the next.
It can seem like there is no way out. Hymowitz points out that a mother's remarriage doesn't help. Her children's outcomes still resemble those of children from single-parent families.
Statistics back up what the church has always taught: Getting married and staying married is the best way to help order society and give children what they need.
Children brought up by a married couple have greater security, peace of mind and order in their lives. They are also more likely to want to get and stay married themselves.
Hymowitz dedicates a substantial portion of her book to examining what happened with black families, where the trend to single motherhood started much earlier.
Already in the mid-1960s, critics such as Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., warned that the breakdown of the black family was part of the reason they were not achieving economic equality with whites. Voices such as Moynihan's were, however, in large part ignored, and we now run the risk of producing another unequal caste, those children born to unmarried mothers, Hymowitz argues.
It is inescapably true: Strong families that provide plenty of parental oversight, along with robust cultural and moral values, are the best way to fight the cycle of poverty.
Divorce, illegitimacy and teen pregnancy rates have declined. As well, family values and marriage seem to be enjoying a resurgence of support.
The danger, however, as Father John Flynn pointed out, is that that this could be restricted to just one group in society, namely, the children fortunate enough to count on two parents. Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput famously said (citing the Last Judgment passage of the Gospel of Matthew): "If we forget the poor, we'll go to hell."
Catholics fortunate enough to have the strength of marriage on their side need to share the wealth of the church's teaching on marriage as well as their material wealth with the world.
Contact
National Catholic Register
http://www.ncregister.com
,
- ,
Keywords
More Catholic PRWire
Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716
A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain
Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.
The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul
A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.
Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell
My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz
Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell
Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online
Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online
Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online
State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online
Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online
2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online
Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online
Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online
Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online
Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online
Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online
Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online
Full Circle
Robert Gieb
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite
Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony
Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell
World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online
Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA
Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online
A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe
Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly
Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard
The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely
Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow
A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow
Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea
Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard
Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol
Edging God Out
Paul Sposite
Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow
George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online
Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell
Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey
We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.
Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.Help Now >
Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite
Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol
Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol
Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online
Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online
Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online
Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online
Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online
Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online
Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol
Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.
-
Mysteries of the Rosary
-
St. Faustina Kowalska
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
-
Saint of the Day for Wednesday, Oct 4th, 2023
-
Popular Saints
-
St. Francis of Assisi
-
Bible
-
Female / Women Saints
-
7 Morning Prayers you need to get your day started with God
-
Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Pope Francis Advises Parish Priests on Fostering a Missionary Church
-
5 Reasons Going To Church Is Important (even on days you feel like you can skip)
-
U.S. Catholic Parishes Experience Resurgence of Traditional Practices
-
Pope Francis Urges Faith and Prayers for Peace
-
Florida Welcomes Volunteer Chaplains to Public Schools
Daily Catholic
- Daily Readings for Friday, May 03, 2024
- St. James the Lesser: Saint of the Day for Friday, May 03, 2024
- Prayer before Starting on a Journey: Prayer of the Day for Friday, May 03, 2024
- Daily Readings for Thursday, May 02, 2024
- St. Athanasius: Saint of the Day for Thursday, May 02, 2024
- The Our Father: Prayer of the Day for Thursday, May 02, 2024
Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.
Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.