Marriage Helps Children's Education

Stable marriage has a powerful impact on children’s education. Research has consistently shown that children raised by their own two married parents do better in school than children in other family forms. For example, about one out of four children in both single-mother and blended families repeat a grade in school, compared to only one in seven children in intact married families. About a quarter of children in mother-only families and 18 percent of children in blended families have been suspended or expelled, compared to less than 10 percent of children from intact marriages. A 15-year study of 2,000 married people and their children by Paul Amato and Alan Booth found that even after controlling for marital quality, income, race and family background, parental divorce reduced adult children’s educational attainment, occupational status, and increased the risk of economic hardship in their adult lives. Children in single-mother homes are significantly less likely to complete high school, attend or graduate from college than either children in intact married families or children in widowed families (even after controlling for race, gender, and maternal education). Children raise outside of intact marriages are also only half as likely to attend a selective college, even after controlling for income and parental education.

How can the marriage of parents contribute to their children's education and future productivity? Parents contribute to their children's development of social skills that are valuable to schools and employers--punctuality, self-discipline, honesty, tolerance for frustration, diligence, reliability, respect for others. On average two married parents have twice the time, energy, financial security, and personal skills as well, reading to young children, helping with homework, reinforcing patterns (like regular breakfast and early bedtime) that help children learn. The tastes, values and skills of parents influence their children's success in school and in the world of work.

Maggie Gallagher, “Why Supporting Marriage Makes Business Sense.”  Corporate Research Council paper.