The Right of the Childto 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

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

Divorce

OWB

Divorce

OWB

605040302010

0

International Rejection Ration

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90Ta

iwan

China

Maced

onia

Croat

iaJa

pan

New Z

eala

nd

Serb

ia &

Mon

tene

gro

Switz

erla

ndSl

ovak

iaPo

rtuga

lNet

herla

nds

Georg

iaLi

thua

nia

Slov

enia

Czech

Rep

ublic

Canad

aUni

ted

Stat

esFi

nlan

dFr

ance

New C

alce

doni

aDen

mar

kSw

eden

El S

alva

dor

Urugu

ayJa

mai

ca

USA

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

Family

Church

Individual’s Basic Tasks

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

Couple’s Basic Tasks

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

Family’s Basic Tasks

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

Society’s Basic Task

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

Society’s Basic Task

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

$$$$

Yearly Income, 200, Families With Children

$54,000$50,000

$30,000

$23,000$20,000

$9,100 $9,400

$0

$10,000

$20,000

$30,000

$40,000

$50,000

$60,000

First Marriage Second(+)Marriage

Cohabitation Divorced Separated Widowed NeverMarried

Note: Figures do not include transferred income

Children in Poverty, 2000

12 13

31

39 41

67

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

First Marriage Second(+)Marriage

Divorced Cohabitation Separated Never Married

Children in Poverty

3.93 Million Children

3.17 Million Children

0.75 Million Children

Unmarried Parents Same Parents Married

Source R Rector: Analysis of CPS 2001

In Poverty

Out of Poverty

In Poverty

Marriage Premium in Male Income

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

AverageUnmarried Male

Premium Averge MarriedMale

Co

mp

ara

tive

Inc

om

e %

+ $27 =

$127$100

Source Antovics, K. & Town, R. Am Econ Review V 94, (2004) pp 317-321

Income of Divorce on Income of Families

$43,600

$25,300

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

Before Divorce After Divorce

Family Status

42%

1993 Average Annual Income

Source: Corcoran and Chaudray, Unpublished Research Paper, Survey Research Center, University of Michigan, May 1994

Median Net Worth of Families With Children Under 18 (2000)

$120,250

$105,360

$27,800$20,540 $16,540 $14,850

$350$0

$20,000

$40,000

$60,000

$80,000

$100,000

$120,000

$140,000

First Marriage Second(+)Marriage

Divorced Widowed Cohabitation Separated NeverMarried

Source: Survey of Consumer Finance, 2001

Belonging Vs Having (Constant $) Sources: NCHS Data and US Statistical Abstracts

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

Media

n Fam

ily In

come

0

10

2030

40

50

60

7080

90

100

Total

ly Be

longin

g Fro

m Bi

rth

BELONG

$

$

BELONG

Schema: Having vs. Belonging in the US

?

$$$

INCOME - ECONOMY

INCOME - FAMILY ECONOMY

Society’s Basic Tasks

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

2.9

2.62.6

2.5

2.6

2.5

2.30

2.40

2.50

2.60

2.70

2.80

2.90

Ave

rag

e G

PA

En

ligsh

/Mat

h C

om

bin

ed

INTACT STEP COHABIT (BOTHNATURAL)

COHABIT (ONENATURAL)

DIVORCED NEVER MARRIED

GPA English/Math by Family StructureSource: Adolescent Health Survey, Wave I. Adolescents grade 7-12.

School Expulsion Source Add Health Wave II 1996

Educational Attainment Ideal

Educational Attainment

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

Society’s Basic Tasks

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

5 Biological Parents Married

Mother Married to Stepfather

Biological Mother Alone

Biological Parents

Cohabiting

Source: Robert Whelan, Broken Homes and Broken Children, 1994.

Family Structure

Biological Father Alone

Biological Mother

Cohabiting

10

15

20

25

30

35

Comparative Risk Ratios for Serious Abuse, 1982-1988

In Britain, a Child Whose Biological Mother Cohabits was 73 Times More Likely to Suffer Fatal Abuse than a Child with Married Parents

5 Biological Parents Married

Mother Married to Stepfather

Biological Mother Alone

Biological Parents

Cohabiting

Source: Robert Whelan, Broken Homes and Broken Children, 1994.

Family Structure

Biological Father Alone

Biological Mother

Cohabiting

10

15

20

25

30

35

Comparative Risk Ratios for Serious Abuse, 1982-1988

Runaway Children in UK

0%

Step-Families

Lone-parent Families

Two-parent Families

Percentage of children running away overnight before the age of 16

10%5% 15% 20% 25%

U.S: Partner / Spouse Violence Against Mothers Over 20 With Children under 12

Source DOJ Nat Crime Victimization Survey 1999

46

15

33

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Married Widowed Married+Div+SepCombined

Never Married

Rate

Oer

1,0

00

Family Structure: Comparative Rates

Of Youth Incarceration

1

2.07

2.71

3.7

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

Raised in Intact Married ParentFamily

Raised in Mother-Only Family Raised in a Mother andStepfather Family

Raised in a Stepmother Family

Co

mp

ara

tive R

ate

s o

f In

carc

era

tio

n

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

Gov

School

Market

Family

Church

Society’s Basic Tasks

The More Sexual Partners the More Likely to Abort Source NSFG 1995

8

12

1819

25

3134

3943

52

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0 1 2 3 4 5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21+NUMBER OF NON MARITAL SEXUAL PARTNERS IN LIFETIME

Per

cen

t w

ho

hav

e ab

ort

ion

s la

ter

Father Rated Warm and Loving Source: National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health Wave 2, 1996

41.2%

25.8%

14.6%

6.3%3.3%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

Intact Step Cohabit Divorced Single

% Ra

ting

Dad

War

m an

d Lo

ving

US Family Strucuture for Adolescents 14-18 Source: Survey of Consumer Finance 2000

First Marriage/ Intact Two-Parent Family, 42%

Second Marriage/Two-Parent Step Family, 22%

Cohabiting Couple, 6%

Single Parent, Divorced or Separated, 21%

Single Parent Never Married, 6%

Single Parent, Widowed, 3%

IDEAL OF FAMILY

REALITY OF FAMILY

www.FamilyFacts.Org

BELONGING: MALE + FEMALE

FAMILY

CHILD

FATHER MOTHER

SOCIETY AT LARGE

REJECTION: MALE vs. FEMALE

FAMILY

CHILD

SOCIETY AT LARGE

FATHER MOTHER

The Most Basic Right of All Children — In Every Age and Place

International Rejection Ration

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90Ta

iwan

China

Maced

onia

Croat

iaJa

pan

New Z

eala

nd

Serb

ia &

Mon

tene

gro

Switz

erla

ndSl

ovak

iaPo

rtuga

lNet

herla

nds

Georg

iaLi

thua

nia

Slov

enia

Czech

Rep

ublic

Canad

aUni

ted

Stat

esFi

nlan

dFr

ance

New C

alce

doni

aDen

mar

kSw

eden

El S

alva

dor

Urugu

ayJa

mai

ca

USA

Future of Society = The Child

The Future of the Child is the Marriage of his/her Parents