I Can't Give You Anything But Love: Would Poor Couples With Children Be Better Off Economically If They Married


 

Publication Date: August 2004

Publisher: Center for Law and Social Policy

Author(s): Paula Roberts

Research Area: Social conditions

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

Policymakers and researchers alike are debating whether marriage might be an anti-poverty strategy for families with children. Some believe that if more parents married, there would be a substantial decrease in poverty.

Others suggest that increasing the marriage rate among poor and near-poor parents, while not dramatically reducing poverty, would make a significant dent in the poverty rate for families with children. Still others are highly skeptical of these claims. This issue brief summarizes recent research bearing on the validity of these viewpoints.