Posted on 12/12/2003 12:07:10 PM PST by TheMole
Children of married parents do better in life
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
(Filed: 12/12/2003)
Children born out of wedlock suffer financially, according to an official study released yesterday.
The study of 18,500 babies shows that married parents are less likely to claim income support.
They are also more likely to own a property and live on an income of at least £20,000 a year.
The survey found that 60 per cent of parents who had children in 2000-2002 were married, 25 per cent were co-habiting and 15 per cent were not married or living together.
Only 7.8 per cent of married couples were classed as "poor" compared to 76.4 per cent of parents who did not live together, and 25 per cent of co-habiting parents.
John Haskey, from the Office for National Statistics, which published the figures, said the study had far-reaching implications.
Children born out of wedlock were not only disadvantaged at birth, he said. "It seems that this will go on throughout the life of those children," he added.
Mr Haskey said the study raised the question of how social policy should be formulated.
He asked: "Should the Government be encouraging marriage, or at least encouraging people to stay together in a stable relationship?" Only 1.7 per cent of single parents had a "high income" compared to 17.4 per cent of co-habiting parents (with a joint income of £31,200 or more) and 33.5 per cent of married parents (also with a joint income of £31,200 or more).
The number of single parents on income support was 69.8 per cent. The number of married parents on income support dropped to just 3.2 per cent.
And while 81.1 per cent of married parents owned their own home, only 12.2 per cent of single parents did so, with 58.4 per cent of them living in council housing.
Ministers have so far been unwilling to act to reverse the decline of the instutition of marriage.
The study was the first of its kind to break down the strength of the relationship between the parents who were not living together at the time their child was born.
While 7.2 per cent were closely involved at the time of birth, 4.4 per cent were not in a relationship, 2.4 per cent were friends and one per cent were separated or divorced.
Fathers who were closely involved with mothers at the time of birth were most likely to end up moving in with them.
"It is clear that children born to single, non-cohabiting parents are the most disadvantaged," the study said.
The findings highlighted the "complexity and fuzziness" of parental relationships in the new millennium.
"The most advantaged children are those born to married parents," it concluded.
"The co-habiting couples are substantially better off than the single parents not living with anyone, but are more disadvantaged than their married counterparts."
The figures showed that only 32.6 per cent of all absent fathers paid child maintenance.
28 yo son - CPA, CFP who mostly consults for other financial planners, MBA, state boad of accountancy, speaker at financial planning conferences. Married to wonder young lady.
25 year old son - airline captain, started as airline pilot at age 21.
23 yo daughter - nursing student.
We did O.K. Acutally, we wee blessed as I know many parents whose children chose destructive paths through what appeared to be no fault of the parentrs, but you can never say for sure.
End of bragging.
Of course not. To do any thing about the greatest threat to Western Civilization would be to gore a scared Socialist Cow and offend the Feminazis.
It is a most halloed part of the Left’s dogma that children do not need fathers and Mothers are probably better off with out husbands. To suggest otherwise is to commit heresy.
Social Engineering is the name of the game for the Left unless it is in support of traditional values.
Rocks Sink in Water!
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