One Community, Many Challenges

One look around the Lehigh Valley will tell you that we are a diverse community in many ways from cultural backgrounds to economics. Yet, there are some things we all have in common – we all come from families and many of us have formed families of our own.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of Allentown in 2000 was 106,632 people, consisting of 42,051 households. Over half of these households (25,356) are considered families. Of these families, an overall 14.6% live below the poverty level, which is 5.4% above the average poverty rate for families in the United States (U.S. Census Bureau). According to the U.S. Department of Labor, as of May 2006, the unemployment rate of 4.4% in Lehigh Valley is only slightly better than the national and state averages of 4.6% and 4.8% respectively. These statistics show the Allentown area to be a distressed community economically.

Although marriage affects every family, we will look for a moment at how it affects low-income families. Studies prove that marriage rates are declining among low-income groups, especially African-Americans (Family Relations, October 2004, Vol. 53, pp. 440-447). One might ask the question, is the decline in marriage affecting these groups economically? The answer to that is yes. Married couple families in our community are faring better economically than single parent households. For example, only 6.5% of married couple families in Allentown are living below the poverty line, as opposed to a startling 35.8% of families with a female householder and no husband present (U.S. Census Bureau).

This last statistic reflects a mindset among poor, single women that was identified in a study conducted only 66 miles from Allentown in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, NJ, “Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood Before Marriage (Motherhood Before Marriage, University of California Press, 2005). In this study it was found that single mothers living in poverty held relatively traditional views on marriage and childbearing, yet they said that “the most sensible life map (although not the ideal plan) was to have children, get established economically, and then get married.” This outlook confirms a lack of education on healthy marriage in the population studied, which represents 25% of the family population of Allentown (U.S. Census Bureau).

This is just one example of the need for Healthy Marriage Education considering the true facts are that “women who give birth outside of marriage generally have lower incomes, lower education levels, and greater dependence on welfare assistance than do married mothers. Economic disadvantage may even extend into old age. In addition, women who have a non-marital birth have reduced marriage prospects compared to single women without children (Child Trends, “Percentage of Births to Unmarried Women.” Available online at Child Trends Databank).”

Then there are some challenges that cross economic lines. One is the challenge of single parenting. No matter what a families economic situation, children of single parent homes face more challenges than those in married family homes.

An article from the Morning Call titled Should We Get Married For The Children? was run in February of 2005. Below is an excerpt from that article showing the danges or starting a family outside of marriage.

“The danger in starting a family without getting married first is that unmarried couples are much more likely to eventually split than married ones. And then -- unless and until other relationships come along -- we are talking about a single-parent household. Again, the Family Project panel wants to stress that they admire single parents and the love and work they pour into their children. But single parenting can be hard on the parent and on the children.

There is a large body of research about the disadvantages that can affect children of single parents.

A 1998 study by the National Bureau of Health Statistics said that, among other things, children of single parents are more likely to be poor, to have drug problems and run afoul of the law. The study also said that difficulties continue into adult life, with these children growing up and experiencing less satisfaction in their love and work lives compared to children who grew up with both parents.

A study published in the March 2003 journal Population and Development Review said that such problems also can be more prevalent in children who have been raised in families where a stepparent is part of the mix.

Panelist Bill Vogler sees the level of dedication unmarried versus married couples have to their relationship as similar to the dedication a volunteer would have to a job compared to a professional. "You can only rely on volunteers for so much," he says.

"A couple that for whatever reason is reluctant to make that commitment" to marriage, Vogler says, "It's kind of like are they holding something back, to someday have an out.
"If you introduce the stress of children into that" relationship, Vogler says, "then what?"

"When there is a commitment between two people, they are saying they are serious about working things out or working on problems when issues arise," panelist Denise Continenza says.

Marriage, Lightwood says, is "structure and support for kids."

The Lehigh Valley is one community with many challenges. Family Solutions of PA is committed to being an integral part of helping families who desire to overcome the challenges they are facing.