US EditionUS children of divorce have reduced earnings, increased chances of teen births and jail, study says
- A study released in May 2025 found that U.S. Children whose parents divorced before age 6 face reduced adult earnings, higher teen pregnancy, and increased jail risk.
- The study attributes these outcomes primarily to income loss, moving to lower-income neighborhoods, and reduced contact with non-custodial parents after the divorce.
- It shows children's income is 13% lower by age 27 if their parents divorced before age 6, with no significant effects when divorce occurs after age 18.
- Nearly one out of every three American children experiences their parents’ divorce before becoming adults, while the national divorce rate has steadily decreased over the past 15 years, dropping from above 10% in 2008 to approximately 7% in 2022, based on data from the Census Bureau.
- The study cannot assess emotional impacts or hypothetical outcomes if parents stayed together, but suggests that lost finances, neighborhood shifts, and parental absence explain much of the negative effects.
52 Articles
52 Articles
Study: US children of divorce have reduced earnings, increased chances of teen births and jail
U.S. children whose parents divorce when they are age 5 or younger have reduced earnings as adults and increased chances by young adulthood of teen pregnancy, incarceration and death, according to a study released this month.
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NBC BostonDivorce impacts income and opportunities for U.S. children, study finds
U.S. children whose parents divorce when they are age 5 or younger have reduced earnings as adults and increased chances by young adulthood of teen pregnancy, incarceration and death, according to a study released this month. After a divorce, a household’s income typically is halved as a family splits into two households, and it struggles to recover that lost income over the ensuing decade. Families after divorce also tend to move to neighborhoo…
Associated Press News
US children of divorce have reduced earnings, increased chances of teen births and jail, study says
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