Can Marriage Stem African American Poverty?

Marriage appears to contribute greatly to the economic status of black American families, according to a new study, The Consequences of Marriage for African Americans.

However, some black advocates disagree on whether marriage programs are effective methods of curbing poverty. Commissioned by the Institute for American Values, a private nonprofit think tank that studies families, the study examines the consequences of marriage among black Americans in the last few decades. “On virtually every indicator of economic well-being, married African Americans do better,” says Linda Malone-Colon, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor of psychology at Hampton University.

“They earn more, they are less likely to suffer economic hardship and poverty, they have higher levels of occupational prestige, and they’re more likely to own their own homes.” The findings add fuel to the debate on whether marriage incentives offered to low-income Americans are an effective way to fight poverty. In 2002, President George W. Bush introduced the Healthy Marriage Initiative, funding programs designed to give married low-income Americans economic and emotional support.

However, not all advocates are convinced that marriage promotion is the best way to attack poverty. Avis Jones-DeWeever, the director of Poverty, Education and Social Justice Programs at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, argues that spending government dollars on marriage promotion programs ignores poor, unmarried blacks. The 2000 U.S. Census shows only 44.9% of black householders live with a spouse, compared to 80.6% of whites. “Marriage-promotion programs are a diversion away from a true policy to attack poverty,” says Ms. Jones-DeWeever. “The sooner we recognize that, the better off African Americans will be and the better off America will be.” Ms. Jones-DeWeever argues that the reality is that for a large segment of the black population - particularly black women - marriage will not be an option. She says the programming should address ways to provide black women with access to programs that will allow them to be sustainable on their own.

My response: let's look at U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The black poverty rate by family composition: married-couple families 8%, single-dad families 19%, and single-mom families 35%. While 70% of black American children overall are not poor, 30% are poor. 85% of these poor children live in single-mom households.

Yeah, marriage helps here. Even while black Americans have economically done better even despite our skyrocketing out-of-wedlock rates and plummeting marriage rates, we are not where we would be if the marriage rate was higher. I agree with Ms. Jones-DeWeever that federal government dollars should not be spent on marriage promotion programs. However, unlike her, I also believe that federal government dollars should not be spent on social welfare either, which provides incentives for irresponsible behavior and for the government to replace parents.

Hatip http://bookerrising.blogspot.com/