RECOGNITION OF A DEVELOPING PROBLEM : THE MOYNIHAN REPORT
In 1965 Daniel Patrick Moynihan published a study titled “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action”. The Moynihan report detailed the problem of the breakdown of the African-American family. Moynihan was severely criticized at the time, but history has proved him right and the problem has only become progressively worse. Although the continuing deterioration is most severe in the black population, all other ethnic groups are following a parallel course.
WHAT ARE THE DATA?
The actual data may be viewed by clicking on the FFI YOLA APPENDIX.pdf located on this page. The content of this appendix is considered below. The data show that there has been a precipitous deterioration of the family structure in the United States for over the past half-century.
Births Out of Wedlock – Overall (Nationally and by Ethnic Groups)
Moynihan was concerned in 1965 that 25% of African-American babies were born out of wedlock; 45 years later that figure had soared to 72%. This alarming trend toward illegitimacy is manifested in every segment of American society as can be seen in Figure 1. This Figure shows the national data comparing non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic groups. The parallel escalation in the percentage of all births to unmarried women is striking.
REPERCUSSION IN FAMILY UNITS
There has been a steady dissolution of the traditional family structure over recent decades.
Living Arrangements of Children – Categorized by Ethnicity
Figure 2 displays the living arrangements of children categorized by White, Black and Hispanic according to whether they were living with 2 parents. In the year 2023 the majority of White and Hispanic children lived with both parents (76.3% and 67.4%, respectively). The figure for Black childrern was 44.56%.
In the past 50 years in the United States the number of children living with the mother only has doubled (10.7% in the year 1968, 21.0% in the year 2020). Figure 3 displays the data by ethnicity. In the year 2020 the data of children living with the mother only were : Asian 7.8%, White 13.4%, Hispanic 24.1%, and Black 46.3%.
Living Arrangements of Children – Categorized by Absent Fathers
Figure 4 shows the percent of children living in homes without fathers for the year 1970 compared to the year 2023.
The figures were White 10% to 20%, Hispanic 22% to 29%, Black 39% to 50%, overall average 14% to 25%.
Figure 5 interestingly shows that the United States is a leader in the world for homes without fathers.
