ROFL!!!
Marriage has become less necessary etc BECAUSE of government policies that let Big Daddy Government take the place of children's actual fathers. "Slow to keep pace"? That's ridiculous!
Women got the vote in the US early in the 20th century. They started entering the workforce in great numbers during WWII. It is a fact that they become more independent and less dependent upon men. The welfare state had very little to do with it.
This is a worldwide study. Notice that Chile, Costa Rica, and Mexico have three of the four highest out of wedlock birth rates. Do you think the huge infusion of Mexican immigrants, legal and illegal, contribute to our 40% rate?