Illegitimacy Ratio Declining

Illegitimacy is the underlying cause of child poverty, welfare dependence, and most other social problems. The good news is illegitimacy is no longer increasing.

Since the 1960s the illegitimacy ratio, which is the percentage of all births that are births to unmarried women, has risen steadily, increasing more than 500 percent during the 35 years after 1960. But, beginning in 1995, the upward slope that had characterized the illegitimacy ratio for more than three decades has flattened out. The decrease has occurred in every ethnic group. The percentage of all births that were births to unmarried women grew from 5 percent in 1960 to 32.6 percent in 1994, leveling off to 32.3 percent in 1997.

Reducing the illegitimacy ratio is an integral step in reducing child poverty and increasing the well-being of all children. A child born out-of-wedlock is 700 percent more likely to encounter poverty than a child born to a married couple. As a result, a child born out-of-wedlock is likely to spend 1700 percent more time on AFDC support than a child in an intact family.

Children born to unmarried mothers are on the whole more likely to experience retarded cognitive development; lower educational achievement; lower job attainment; increased behavioral and emotional problems; lower impulse control; and retarded social development. They are also more likely to bear children outside of marriage; engage in early sexual activity; engage in criminal activity; and be on welfare as adults.

What factors have contributed to the halt in growing illegitimacy? In the years preceding the decline in out-of-wedlock births, the debate in Washington over the crisis in illegitimacy grabbed media attention. Press coverage of the topic increased tenfold, carrying with it the vital message that having children outside of marriage is undesirable for children, parents, and society.

Let's hope the small decline in the out-of-wedlock birth rate over the past three years is a harbinger of the future. But even if the pattern does continue, there remains a tremendous amount of work to be done to curb illegitimacy. After all, the illegitimacy ratio in 1997 is still only .3 percent lower than the peak three years prior. States--and cultural institutions--must do what they can to coax the illegitimacy ratio back to the level of 1960.

Robert Rector is a policy analyst and Sarah Youssef is a research assistant at The Heritage Foundation.

For more information ...

The Mother of All Welfare Problems. Over 40 percent of long-term welfare recipients gave birth for the first time when they were 17 years old or younger. How have communities responded? (Governing, January 1997).

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