Facts and Statistics

Facts and Research

A study conducted by the National Marriage Project at Rutgers University shows that only 63 percent of American children grow up with both biological parents, the lowest figure in the Western world.i This trend is due, in part, to an increase in both the divorce rate and the out-of-wedlock birth rate. Substantial evidence suggests that children in single-parent families are generally at greater risk for poor behavioral, health and academic outcomes; unstable family structure; and poverty than are children raised by their married biological parents.ii

Unmarried Couples in Oklahoma

From 1995–2006, the percentage of births to unmarried mothers in Oklahoma County was almost five percent higher than the statewide average. In 2006, 32.7 percent of births nationwide were to unmarried mothers, compared to 34.2 percent for the State of Oklahomaiii. Not only is there a concern for child well-being related to the high rate of births to unwed couples, there is also a concern for the parents. Research findings tell us that:

  1. Single-parent families in Oklahoma are, on average, more likely to be living in poverty than married couples with children. In Oklahoma County, 44.7 percent of single-parent families are living in poverty compared to 2.4 percent of two-parent families. The percentages for Cleveland County indicate that 34.8 percent of single-parent families are living in poverty, while only 1.9 percent of two-parent families live in poverty.iv
  2. Most unmarried couples expect to marry one another, but they are unlikely to achieve this goal. A survey of low-income, unwed mothers and fathers expecting a baby found that 80 percent of mothers were confident that they would marry the father, and 82 percent of fathers responded in the same way. Despite their interest in marriage, less than 10 percent of these couples actually wed each other within a year of the baby’s birth.v

Unmarried biological parents often separate during the child’s infancy. The birth of the child is almost twice as likely to trigger the ending of the relationship, and is five times higher among cohabiting couples than it is among married parentsvi. When couples are not married at the time the child is born, the stress related to raising an infant can break down the couple relationship. Common stressors include lack of sleep, changing financial pressures and increased childcare demands.

Married Couples in Oklahoma

The birth of a new baby can place considerable stress on a marriage, and many married parents divorce. Approximately 1 million children each year experience the divorce of their parentsvii. Unfortunately, divorce is very common in Oklahoma, where the divorce rate is higher than the national average. Divorce is even more common among low-income couples. National studies have found that the difficulty of staying married increases substantially with levels of economic disadvantage. In Oklahoma, 43 percent of individuals who have ever received government assistance (such as TANF, Medicaid or Food Stamps) experienced a divorce compared to only 28 percent of individuals who have never received government assistance.viii

iThe National Marriage Project, Rutgers University, The State of Our Unions 2005.
iiMarcia Carlson, Sara McLanahan and Paula England, What We Know About Unmarried Parents: Implications for Building Strong Families Programs, 2004.
iii2006 Census Data
ivOklahoma Department of Commerce. (2009). Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: selected characteristics the 2009 American Community Survey 1-year estimates [Data file]. Available from http://www.okcommerce.gov/Data-And-Research/Demographic-And-Population-Data
vFragile Families Research Brief (2003). Union Formation and Dissolution in Fragile Families, Bendheim-Thoman Center for Research on Child Wellbeing, Princeton University.
viGalston, W. A., The Changing Twenties. (2007). The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, Washington, D.C.
viiwww.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml
viiiChristine Johnson et al. Marriage in Oklahoma 2001 Baseline Statewide Survey on Marriage and Divorce. Oklahoma Bureau for Social Research, 2002.