Anchored in Christ

The state of marriage today is in a sad place. Marriages in the black community are no exception, and if anything generally worse.

The blog quoted and linked below from Acton Institute highlights a study that shows the dramatic effects that having married parents has on the life of the black child. These positive effects include improved education, economic status, and reduced behavioral problems.

You may have heard it said, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

I think a village can be very important for a child’s development, but looking at the effects of a black married couple raising a child over a single parent, it may be more appropriate to say,

“It takes a married couple to raise a child.”

or, because of the wide societal effects that come from more better educated people with less behavioral problems,

“It takes a married couple to raise a child AND a village.”***

If you don’t read the article, at least read the important findings below:

1. African American boys with married parents are markedly less likely to become delinquent, and they also tend to do better in school.

2. Marriage is one of the strongest determinants of economic status for Black Americans, and can often mean the difference between living above or below the poverty line—especially for families with children—because marriage often means the addition of a second income to the household. Marriage also tends to make adults more productive, successful workers.

3. In adulthood, marriage is associated with a range of better outcomes for African American men, from $4,000 increases in wages to greater happiness with family life.

4. Black children of married parents typically receive better parenting, are less delinquent, have fewer behavioral problems, have higher self-esteem, are more likely to delay sexual activity, and have moderately better educational outcomes.

5. In areas including parental support, delinquency, self-esteem, and school performance, having one’s father in the home—and particularly one’s married father—appears to be a crucial determinant of better outcomes for young Black males.

6. Regarding both levels of parental support and the risks of delinquency, African-American children seem to benefit more from parental marriage than do White children.

HT: (Black Marriage Matters)

***I realize that this is not a perfect world and there are legitimate reasons why a person will have to raise a child alone even though that is not their choice. The purpose of this is to show that it is advantageous for the child to have a married man and woman raising a child.

Book recommendation: Love and Economics: It Takes Family to Raise a Village by Jennifer Rohrback Morse