Controversial research results show that children raised in single-parent households are more likely to suffer from poverty in the future.

Pallavi Gogoi, editor of independent media and NPR, has published a statement by economist Melissa Carney, who has been the subject of much debate in the United States, ` `Whether parents are married or not influences children's success.'' ” is explained.

Why children of married parents do better, but America is moving the other way
https://text.npr.org/1207322878

In his book, Carney argues that ``Children raised by two parents are far more likely to succeed than children raised by one parent.'' Furthermore, Mr. Carney also argued that ``whether the parents are married influences the success of the child.''

According to Gogoi, a 2019 study found that 23% of children under the age of 18 in the United States are growing up in single-parent households, the highest percentage of children growing up in single-parent households in the world. This is clear from the results . Carney warns that the fact that more children are growing up in single-parent households increases inequality and ultimately harms society.

Mr. Carney's argument was praised by conservatives for ``supporting the idea that we should get married,'' but criticized by progressives for ``blaming single mothers.'' The evaluation was divided into two parts.

'A lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea of prioritizing one family type over another,' Carney said. 'I'm not favoring one over the other. I’m just doing it.”

According to Mr. Carney, whose research focuses on single-mother households, households headed by a single parent are five times more likely to suffer from poverty than households headed by two parents. Raising children requires a lot of resources, including money, time, and mental energy, and two-parent families tend to have higher household incomes than single-parent families, so it can be said that they have an advantage.

In addition, in the United States, the proportion of female single parents (single mothers) who have received a university education or have a high income is low, and highly educated women are far less likely to become single mothers. This university disparity seems to be seen among various races such as whites, blacks, and Latinos.

Furthermore, many single mothers do not receive support from other adults such as grandparents or other relatives. In other words, it is the mother who supports the family financially and acts as the protector and caregiver.

However, the word marriage means different things to different people. Sometimes it means being religiously connected, sometimes it means being romantically connected, and sometimes it can be seen as a 'legally binding contract' or 'oppressive patriarchy.' Therefore, some argue that Mr. Carney's support for the institution of marriage is outdated.

For example, in Europe, ``cohabitation,'' rather than marriage, is widely accepted socially, and there are countries that allow people to live together permanently if they continue to live together for a certain period of time. There are cases like this where it is possible to start a family without getting married, and some argue that the institution of marriage is not necessarily necessary.

However, according to Mr. Carney, even if couples decide to live together in the United States, they often do not last as long as they do in Europe. Children in these families are more likely to experience partnerships with two or three parents by the age of 15.

'I'm not advocating for children to live in homes full of marital tension, or in homes where the parents are unhappy or abusive to each other,' Carney said. 'We think of it as a 'long-term contract between two individuals to pool their resources and share household responsibilities, including childcare. 2 is greater than 1, regardless of the gender of the parents.'

'We want to distance ourselves from the politics and emotions that surround the topic of marriage. We don't know exactly what marriage is, but it's a very real issue,' Carney said. 'If you look at it, marriage is what provides stable, long-term two-parent families for children in America.'