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Reducing Poverty by Revitalizing Marriage in Low-Income Communities: A Memo to President-elect Obama
Publication Date: January 2009
Publisher(s): Heritage Foundation (Washington, D.C.)
Author(s): Robert Rector
Special Collection: Presidential Advisory
Topic: Social conditions (Poverty and homelessness)
Social conditions (Marriage and family life)
Keywords: Presidential transition; Marriage; Poverty
Type: Brief
Coverage: United States
Abstract:
The decline of marriage is a major cause of child poverty. Roughly two-thirds of poor children live in single-parent homes. Marital collapse is also a major contributor to welfare dependence: Each year, government spends over $250 billion for means-tested welfare benefits for single parents. Revitalized marriage can have a powerful impact in reducing poverty in low-income communities.