Since welfare reform in 1996, marriage has been promoted as a means to reduce welfare dependency and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Despite extensive public and academic discourse surrounding marriage promotion, a basic factor preceding and predicting marriage--expectations to marry--has received little attention. Using insights from the life course…

More than six million persons who spent at least half of 1987 in the labor force were poor; among families with workers, those headed by unmarried women with children have the highest poverty rates. (Author)

This report uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study (a nationwide survey that collects data on married and non-married parents at the time of the child's birth) to determine how much marriage could reduce poverty among couples who are not married at the time of birth. To determine the impact of marriage on children's and…

Analyzing data from 1,033 African American mothers, results indicate that household income, time on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), and number of children are the strongest predictor of nonmarriage. The conclusions support previous findings that never-married mothers suffer more economic hardship than formerly married mothers. (JPS)

This report presents results from a comprehensive study of child support issues. Using information from three data bases, the following findings emerged: (1) marital status is a strong predictor of receipt of welfare and child support; (2) socioeconomic characteristics of the mother and her family influence welfare and child support outcomes; (3)…

Using findings of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), this report discusses how people become poor and why they stay that way. The PSID reveals that the requirements for getting out of poverty in the United States are so minimal that it takes a mutually reinforcing cluster of behaviors to remain in poverty, even for blacks and females. The…

Examined interviews with 43 White single mothers for thematic content relating to economics of single parenthood, feelings about single parenting, the children's fathers, and stigmatization. Results showed that these women had developed coping strategies and were proud of their ability to survive under adverse circumstances, but that they felt…

In his well-known article "The Coming White Underclass" and other writings Charles Murray has suggested that welfare is the primary cause of out-of-wedlock childbearing. He contends that welfare, including Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), food stamps, and subsidized housing, should be eliminated. While Murray's views have…

Examined contribution of risk and protective factors in adjustment of 721 children, age 8-15, born to teenage mothers. Results showed that exposure to increasing number of risk factors (poverty, urban residence, mother's self-esteem) was associated with greater vulnerability to adjustment problems, while protective factors (intelligence,…

Applies Coleman's concept of social capital to understand differences in development among at-risk youth. Utilized data from longitudinal study of 252 children of teenage mothers to explore relationships between social capital and success. Results suggest social capital plays a role in helping youth negotiate their way out of disadvantage. (JBJ)

March 1992 Current Population Survey data were used to identify persons in central city, suburban, and rural areas with multiple disadvantages: high school dropouts, welfare recipients, never-married mothers, underemployed men, and poor people. About 26% of adults with multiple disadvantages lived in rural areas. Of those, 69% were white and 65%…

This document presents findings of a General Accounting Office (GAO) study that identified approaches and Aid to Dependent Children (AFDC) program activities that help teenage mothers complete their secondary education. Data were obtained from visits to 13 local programs in New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin and…

Minnesota KIDS COUNT focuses on key risk indicators for children and describes the condition of children in each of Minnesota's 87 counties. According to this second annual report, another generation of children is at risk of growing up with decreasing resources, evidenced by increasing arrest rates for violent crimes and substantiated reports of…

This 1997 Minnesota Kids Count report examines child poverty and changing demographics in the state of Minnesota, and focuses on nine risk indicators for the years 1991 through 1995 in Minnesota's 87 counties. Following a discussion of myths and truths about poverty in Minnesota and a look at demographic changes in the state from 1990 to 1995,…

This document presents results of a survey involving 400 homeless families on a number of social and economic factors, including family structure, housing history, employment background, educational attainment, and various interpersonal problems. The study sought to gain a greater understanding of the demographics surrounding homelessness.…