The Right of the Child
to the
Marriage of His Parents
Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D.
Family Research Council
Rhode Island Family Conference
Feb. 27thth. 2010
The Thriving Parent Marriage / Child Relationship
The Thriving Parent Marriage / Child Relationship
The Non-Thriving Marriage / Child Relationship
Society = Relationships
Future of Society = The Child
Annual Rejection Ratio: For Every 100 Children Born
Sources: CDC/ NCHS report series
100.0
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
90.0
80.0
70.0
Divorce
Divorce
60.0
50.0
40.0
30.0
20.0
OWB
10.0
OWB
19
1998
2099
00
19
95
19
90
19
85
19
80
19
75
19
70
19
65
19
60
19
55
19
50
0.0
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International Rejection Ration
90
80
USA
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Ideal of Family
Reality of Family
5 Tasks, 5 Institutions
Basic Tasks
• Family
• Next Generation
• Religion
• Moral Universals, Worship
• School
• To Know
• Government
• Protection
• Marketplace
• Income, Property
Society’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
Individual’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
Couple’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
Family’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
Society’s Basic Task
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
Society’s Basic Task
Gov
School
$$$$
Market
Church
Family
Yearly Income, 200, Families With Children
Note: Figures do not include transferred income
$60,000
$50,000
$54,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$30,000
$23,000
$20,000
$20,000
$9,100
$10,000
$0
First Marriage Second(+)
Marriage
Cohabitation
Divorced
Separated
Widowed
$9,400
Never
Married
Children in Poverty, 2000
80
67
70
60
50
39
40
41
31
30
20
12
13
First Marriage
Second(+)
Marriage
10
0
Divorced
Cohabitation
Separated
Never Married
Children in Poverty
Unmarried Parents
3.93 Million
Children
In
Poverty
Same Parents Married
Out of
Poverty
In
Poverty
Source R Rector: Analysis of CPS 2001
3.17 Million
Children
0.75 Million
Children
Marriage Premium in Male Income
Comparative Income %
140
120
$127
$100
100
80
60
+
40
$27 =
20
0
Average
Unmarried Male
Premium
Averge Married
Male
Source Antovics, K. & Town, R. Am Econ Review V 94, (2004) pp 317-321
Income of Divorce on Income of Families
1993 Average Annual Income
50,000
$43,600
40,000
42%
30,000
$25,300
20,000
10,000
0
Before Divorce
Family Status
Source: Corcoran and Chaudray, Unpublished Research Paper, Survey
Research Center, University of Michigan, May 1994
After Divorce
Median Net Worth of Families With Children Under 18 (2000)
$140,000
$120,000
$120,250
$105,360
$100,000
$80,000
$60,000
$40,000
$27,800
$20,000
$0
$20,540
$16,540 $14,850
$350
First Marriage Second(+)
Marriage
Source: Survey of Consumer Finance, 2001
Divorced
Widowed
Cohabitation
Separated
Never
Married
Belonging Vs Having (Constant $)
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
$
50,000
40,000
B
E
L
O
N
G
30,000
20,000
10,000
19
95
19
98
19
90
19
85
19
80
19
75
19
70
19
65
19
60
19
55
0
19
50
Median Family Income
60,000
Totally Belonging From Birth
Sources: NCHS Data and US Statistical Abstracts
Schema: Having vs. Belonging in the US
$
?
B
E
L
O
N
G
INCOME - ECONOMY
$$$
INCOME - FAMILY ECONOMY
Society’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
GPA English/Math by Family Structure
Source: Adolescent Health Survey, Wave I. Adolescents grade 7-12.
2.90
2.9
Average GPA Enligsh/Math Combined
2.80
2.70
2.6
2.6
2.6
2.60
2.5
2.5
2.50
2.40
2.30
INTACT
STEP
COHABIT (BOTH
NATURAL)
COHABIT (ONE
NATURAL)
DIVORCED
NEVER MARRIED
School Expulsion
Source Add Health Wave II 1996
Educational Attainment Ideal
Educational Attainment
Society’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
Safety
vs.
ABUSE
In Britain, a Child Whose Biological Mother Cohabits was 33 Times More
Likely to Suffer Serious Abuse than a Child with Married Parents
Comparative Risk Ratios for Serious Abuse, 1982-1988
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
Biological
Parents
Married
Mother
Married to
Stepfather
Biological
Mother
Alone
Biological
Parents
Cohabiting
Family Structure
Source: Robert Whelan, Broken Homes and Broken Children, 1994.
Biological
Father
Alone
Biological
Mother
Cohabiting
In Britain, a Child Whose Biological Mother Cohabits was 73 Times More
Likely to Suffer Fatal Abuse than a Child with Married Parents
Comparative Risk Ratios for Serious Abuse, 1982-1988
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
Biological
Parents
Married
Mother
Married to
Stepfather
Biological
Mother
Alone
Biological
Parents
Cohabiting
Family Structure
Source: Robert Whelan, Broken Homes and Broken Children, 1994.
Biological
Father
Alone
Biological
Mother
Cohabiting
Runaway Children in UK
Step-Families
Lone-parent Families
Two-parent Families
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
Percentage of children running away overnight
before the age of 16
25%
U.S: Partner / Spouse Violence
Against Mothers Over 20 With Children under 12
Source DOJ Nat Crime Victimization Survey 1999
35
33
30
Rate Oer 1,000
25
20
15
15
10
5
4
6
0
Married
Widowed
Married+Div+Sep
Combined
Never Married
Family Structure: Comparative Rates
Of Youth Incarceration
4
3.7
Comparative Rates of Incarceration
3.5
3
2.71
2.5
2.07
2
1.5
1
1
0.5
0
Raised in Intact Married Parent
Family
Raised in Mother-Only Family
Raised in a Mother and
Stepfather Family
Raised in a Stepmother Family
Source: C. Harper and S. McLanahan, “Father Absence and Youth Incarceration,” ASA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, August 1998. Data from
the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth.
Good Law and Order
Diminished Law and Order
Society’s Basic Tasks
Gov
School
Market
Church
Family
The More Sexual Partners the More Likely to Abort
Source NSFG 1995
60
52
Percent who have abortions later
50
43
39
40
31
34
30
25
18
20
19
12
10
8
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6-10
11-15
NUMBER OF NON MARITAL SEXUAL PARTNERS IN LIFETIME
16-20
21+
Father Rated Warm and Loving
Source: National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health Wave 2, 1996
% Rating Dad Warm and Loving
45.0%
41.2%
40.0%
35.0%
30.0%
25.8%
25.0%
20.0%
14.6%
15.0%
6.3%
10.0%
5.0%
3.3%
0.0%
Intact
Step
Cohabit
Divorced
Single
US Family Strucuture for Adolescents 14-18
Source: Survey of Consumer Finance 2000
Single Parent, Widowed,
3%
Single Parent Never
Married, 6%
First Marriage/ Intact
Two-Parent Family, 42%
Single Parent, Divorced
or Separated, 21%
Cohabiting Couple, 6%
Second Marriage/TwoParent Step Family, 22%
IDEAL OF FAMILY
REALITY OF FAMILY
www.FamilyFacts.Org
BELONGING: MALE + FEMALE
SOCIETY AT LARGE
FAMILY
CHILD
FATHER
MOTHER
REJECTION: MALE vs. FEMALE
SOCIETY AT LARGE
FAMILY
CHILD
FATHER
MOTHER
The Most Basic Right of All Children — In Every Age and Place
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International Rejection Ration
90
80
USA
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Future of Society = The Child
The Future of the Child is the Marriage of his/her Parents