Marriage has long been argued as essential for building a family and properly raising children, yet, as this New York Times article discusses, more and more American children are born to unmarried parents, and consequentially, many are raised by single parents. Today, nearly 40% of new mothers aren’t married, and there is a clear racial disparity; “one in five white children, one in four Hispanics and one in two blacks live without a father at home.”
Since the 1960’s, the U.S. Government has promoted marriage and two-parent families, and still does today, but it seems to not have an effect on improving the quality of life for children or their single/unmarried parents. This bring up the question, should the government continue to promote marriage and two-parent families, or should it divert resources to improving families as they are? While other countries have declining marriages too, the impact on family welfare isn’t as severe than in the United States. For instance, while marriage in France has been diminishing, children living with nonworking single parents are 56% less likely to be poor than their American counterparts. The French government spends more on family benefits than the U.S. So, should the U.S. government continue to promote marriage to strengthen the welfare of its citizens, or should it find a new way like France. Thoughts?