I agree with you that the budgets for these programs should be shrinking, but the problem is that the demand for these programs keeps growing because of changing family structures and lower labor force participation rates for men in their prime years.
The percentage of households with children headed by single parents jumped from 7% in 1950 to 29% as of last year according to the US Census Bureau. Use this link and go to either Table FM-1 or Figure FM-1 if you want to do a deep dive.
This is important because households headed by single parents, but especially single mothers, are more likely to live below the poverty line than people living in other family structures.
To put the single parenting phenomena in further context, a Pew Research analysis from 2019 showed that America has more households headed by single parents than any country in the world:
The reduction in married couple households means that America has more households that need assistance than it would have if more low income people were married.
Another issue is falling labor force participation rates for men between the ages of 25 and 54. The percentage was at 97.5% in January of 1955 vs. 89.1% in April of this year. Use this link if you want to do a deep dive over at the St. Louis Fed's FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) data base:
The combination of so many households headed by single parents, so many households headed by single people without children, and the ongoing decline of labor force participation rates for men in their prime years (25 to 54) all help explain why the poverty rate hasn't fallen nearly as much as one might have expected given the large expenditures for anti-poverty programs.
To make a long story short, this is a really complicated set of problems.
Having references to back your statements certainly adds credibility. You have put a lot of thought and work into this issue. Your statement, "households headed by single parents are more likely to live below the poverty line---", means that our country needs some introspection. For the sake of a healthy nation, should we discourage single family households? Unless some study indicates otherwise, regardless of race, the traditional family structure, on average, should result in more well adjusted and better educated children. In the long run, less violence and more prosperity for all.
My pleasure.
I agree with you that the budgets for these programs should be shrinking, but the problem is that the demand for these programs keeps growing because of changing family structures and lower labor force participation rates for men in their prime years.
The percentage of households with children headed by single parents jumped from 7% in 1950 to 29% as of last year according to the US Census Bureau. Use this link and go to either Table FM-1 or Figure FM-1 if you want to do a deep dive.
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/stories/single-parent-day.html
This is important because households headed by single parents, but especially single mothers, are more likely to live below the poverty line than people living in other family structures.
To put the single parenting phenomena in further context, a Pew Research analysis from 2019 showed that America has more households headed by single parents than any country in the world:
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/12/12/u-s-children-more-likely-than-children-in-other-countries-to-live-with-just-one-parent/
Another Census Bureau report shows that the percentage of married couple households is now at 47% compared to 71% in 1970:
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/families-living-arrangements.html
The reduction in married couple households means that America has more households that need assistance than it would have if more low income people were married.
Another issue is falling labor force participation rates for men between the ages of 25 and 54. The percentage was at 97.5% in January of 1955 vs. 89.1% in April of this year. Use this link if you want to do a deep dive over at the St. Louis Fed's FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) data base:
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/LRAC25MAUSM156S
The combination of so many households headed by single parents, so many households headed by single people without children, and the ongoing decline of labor force participation rates for men in their prime years (25 to 54) all help explain why the poverty rate hasn't fallen nearly as much as one might have expected given the large expenditures for anti-poverty programs.
To make a long story short, this is a really complicated set of problems.
Having references to back your statements certainly adds credibility. You have put a lot of thought and work into this issue. Your statement, "households headed by single parents are more likely to live below the poverty line---", means that our country needs some introspection. For the sake of a healthy nation, should we discourage single family households? Unless some study indicates otherwise, regardless of race, the traditional family structure, on average, should result in more well adjusted and better educated children. In the long run, less violence and more prosperity for all.