The breakdown of the family isn’t just costly to children. Divorce and unwed parenting cost U.S. taxpayers at least $112 billion annually, according to a study released today.
“This study documents for the first time that divorce and unwed childbearing — besides being bad for children — are also costing taxpayers a ton of money,” said David Blankenhorn, president of the Institute for American Values, which is associated with the study.
The national, state and local costs — which add up to more than $1 trillion over the last decade — are caused, in part, by high poverty rates of single, female-headed households, which lead to higher spending on welfare, criminal justice and education programs.
Blankenhorn said that reducing family fragmentation rates by just 1 percent would save taxpayers $1.1 billion. He joined the Georgia Family Council, Institute for Marriage and Public Policy, and Families Northwest in calling for state and federal groups to work to strengthen marriage.
“This report now provides the basis for a national consensus that strengthening marriage is a legitimate policy concern,” Blankenhorn said.
Texas, for example, recently spent $15 million over two years for marriage education and other programs to increase marriage stability. If the program succeeds in increasing stable families by just three-tenths of 1 percent, it will save Texas taxpayers nearly $9 million per year.
Randy Hicks, president of the Georgia Family Council, said the numbers represent real people and real suffering.
“Both economic and human costs make family fragmentation a legitimate public concern,” he said. “And while we’ll never eliminate divorce and unwed childbearing entirely, we can certainly be doing more to help marriages and families succeed.”
Jenny Tyree, marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said she would like to see more children living with their married parents.
“We are hopeful that this research will help reveal that marriage is a great investment for our communities,” she said.
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