Divorce Statistics and Studies Blog

Family structure matters to black boys' economic welfare, per findings of Chetty study cited as saying the opposite

For Black Boys, Family Structure Still Matters

MARCH 22, 2018 by W. Bradford Wilcox  at Institute for Family Studies

58% of US kids live with both parents, married, 4% w/both parents unmarried; linked to education & race

"More Than 60% of U.S. Kids Live with Two Biological Parents"

By Nicholas Zill in Family Studies, 2/2/15

This brief report, based on the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, 2014 Annual Social and Economic Supplement, breaks down many other categories of living arrangements, as well, and points out that 86% of college-educated parents are married to each other and living together.

It also points out that it's "only a snapshot at a single point in time" of all families with minor children, and so does not "show us changes in arrangements and relationships that occur as children grow and develop: for instance, if current trends hold steady, by the time they reach 17 years old, less than half of today’s youth will have spent their entire childhood in a two-parent family."

These numbers also show the hazards of unwed cohabitation for children. People, even pro-family researchers, often feel obligated to point out that parents CAN be just as permanent and committed, with equally healthy romantic and parenting relationships, even if they do not choose to marry. Well, they theoretically CAN, but this shows that not surprisingly, very few DO, or at least not for long. 

Immigrants divorce less, even if poor and uneducated.

All immigrant groups have lower divorce rates than the US average.

Poorer and less educated immigrants marry just as often, and divorce even less, than richer and more educated ones. This is the opposite of the pattern for Americans generally.

Hispanics have lower marriage rates than average, Asians have higher ones.

These findings, and some very insightful suggestions for exploring the underlying reasons, are in:

Marital Demography: The Immigrant Difference" by Anne Snyder in Family Studies

Based on "U.S. 2010: Divergent Paths of American Families" by Zhenchao Qian of the Sociology Department at Ohio State University, a comprehensive report on marriage, cohabitation, divorce, and remarriage and on many demographic variables and correlations.

Additional info on effects and correlates of divorce

To get complete information and citations, you should also review the Divorce Statistics Collection’s page on your topic:
Correlations with Other Factors: Age | Alcoholic parents | Children of Divorce Getting Divorced
| Cohabitation | Current Events| Gender of Children | Laws |   Marriage education programs | Occupation | Poverty | Race | Region | Religion |  Smoking | Unrealistic Expectations 
Effects on Society: Domestic Violence | Social-Economic-Taxpayer Costs | Effects on Black Community
Effects on Divorced People: Domestic Violence | Economic | Happiness | Physical and Mental Health
Effects on Children: Generally | Child Abuse | Poverty | Crime | Crime | Physical Health | Mental Health/Behavioral | Social Skills/Adjustment | Suicide | Teen & single parenthood | Exposure to family conflict | Stepfamilies | African American Children
Other:  Summary of Our Findings So Far| Causes of individual divorces