We as Muslims believe that marriage increase our income and so the provision of our children, but what about non-Muslims? Let us read…..…
Researchers say that marriage increase income and that is against the wrong thoughts of people who believe that marriage and children leads to losing money and poverty.Also, thoseresearchers believe that marriage offers important social and economic benefits. Children who grow up with married parents generally enjoy a higher standard of living than those living in single-parent households. Two parents are usually better than one not only because they can bring home two paychecks, but also because they can share responsibilities for child care. Marriage often leads to higher levels of paternal involvement than divorce, non-marriage, or cohabitation.
Researchers say that Marriage Boosts Income so they advise people to marry and get children to live a happy life
Daniel Lichter of Ohio State University puts it this way: “Marriage can be a pathway from poverty, but only if women are ‘marriageable,’ stay married, and marry well.”
Dr. Daniel T. Lichter is the Ferris family professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, and Professor of Sociology.
A study published in the Journal of Sociology and conducted by Ohio State University researcher Jay Zagorskyfound that “married individuals have almost double the net worth of those that are divorced [or] single” with wealth being defined “by such factors as home value, stocks, cash, and savings vehicles.”
Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State University’s Center for Human Resource Research.
”Children living with single mothers are five times more likely to be poor than children in two-parent households.Children in single-parent homes are also more likely to drop out of school and become teen parents, even when income is factored out. And the evidence suggests that on average, children who live with their biological mother and father do better than those who live in stepfamilies or with cohabiting partners…. In light of these facts, policies that strengthen marriage for those who choose it and that discourage unintended births outside of marriage are sensible goals to pursue.” Said Barack Obama, president of the united states of American in his book”The Audacity of Hope“which was published In February 2006.
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream is the second book written by Barack Obama .In the fall of 2006 it became number one on both the New York Times and Amazon.com bestsellers lists.
Jennifer A. Marshallthe director of the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation reported that about two-thirds of poor children live in single-parent homes. Government spends $300 billion annually to assist low-income single parents.
But if poor single mothers married the fathers of their children, nearly two-thirds could escape poverty immediately.
Another study by Maria Cancian at university of Wisconsin and Debbie Reed
Public Policy Institute of Californiaexamined the importance of changes over the last several decades in family structure and the relationships among family structure, childbearing, employment and poverty. They stated in the study that Child Poverty hasgrown Since the 1960s and that increase is due to changes in family structure that push poverty higher due to decline in marriage, growth in non-marital births then children are more likely to be raised in single-parent families as in the graphs below:
An obvious increase in poverty rate from 1969 to 2006
Decline in Marriage rate from 1970 till 2006
A graph illustrates the American family structure from 1970 to 2006 as there is an obvious decrease in rate of families (couple) and an increase in female families.
According to the study, there is an increase in the percentage of birth to non-married mothers from 1960 till 2004 as it is up to 35% in 2004
My beloved, Look at this amazing table which illustrates the relation between poverty and family structure:
Poverty Rates Are Strongly Related to Family Structure. According to the study of Maria Cancian and Debbie Reed, in 2006 poverty rate for married with children is 7.5% where the rate of poverty for single male with children is 19% and the rate for single female with children is 39.9%.
Robert Rector is Senior Research Fellow in the Domestic Policy Studies Department at The Heritage Foundation says about the relation between marriage and poverty “The decline of marriage is a major cause of child poverty. Roughly two-thirds of poor children live in single-parent homes. Marital collapse is also a major contributor to welfare dependence: Each year, government spends over $250 billion for means-tested welfare benefits for single parents.”
“Revitalized marriage can have a powerful impact in reducing poverty in low-income communities. For example, if poor women who have children out of wedlock were married to the actual fathers of their children, nearly two-thirds would be lifted out of poverty immediately. Because the decline in marriage is linked to many other social problems, an increase in healthy marriage would to lead to a long-term drop in those problems as well.” He added.
Robert Rector is a leading national authority on poverty, the U.Swelfare system and immigration and is a Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow.
Glory to Allah!!!! He Almighty tells us in the Qur’an about the relation between marriage and poverty: (And marry those among you who are single (i.e. a man who has no wife and the woman who has no husband) and (also marry) the Salihun (pious, fit and capable ones) of your (male) slaves and maid-servants (female slaves). If they be poor, Allah will enrich them out of His Bounty. And Allah is All-Sufficent for His creatures’ needs, All-Knowing (about the state of the people).){Sûrat An-Nûr-(The Light) –verse32}.
Who told our illiterate prophet 1400 years ago about this scientific link between poverty and marriage? Indeed He is Allah Almighty who says in another verse:(And kill not your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Surely, the killing of them is a great sin.){Sûrat Al-Isrâ’-(The Journey by Night)- verse31}.
Allah Almighty promised people that He must deliver their provision. So, we don’t have to worry about that issue, also we shouldn’t worry about getting marry or to be fathers and mothers to many boys and girls as He Almighty says: (And in the heaven is your provision, and that which you are promised* Then, by the Lord of the heaven and the earth, it is the truth (i.e. what has been promised to you), just as it is the truth that you can speak.
){SûratAdh-Dhâriyât-(The Winds that Scatter )-verse22-23} and also He says: ( kill not your children because of poverty – We provide sustenance for you and for them){Sûrat Al-An’âm-Sûrat Al-An’âm)verse151}.
Rector says in his report that”Many low-income individuals choose to have children first and then work on finding suitable partners and building strong relationships. They fail to understand that this pattern is not likely to be successful. Most low-income young women, in particular, strongly want children and hope those children will grow up to enter the middle class, but they fail to appreciate the vitally important role a healthy marriage can play in boosting a child’s success.”
Analyzing this fact leads us to believe that marriage is the only way to build a robust community. According to the principles of Islam, marriage should be as soon as possible when all needed facilities are ready for both man and woman.
Allah Almighty Who created us and knows the better for us says: (And among His Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy. Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect){Sûrat Ar-Rûm-The Romans –verse21}.
Prophet Mohamed peace be upon him advices us to marry by saying :(whoever refuses to follow me in what I am doing (Sunnah) is not following me) [the Right series of ALALBANY] because Prophet Mohamed married women and Allah almighty gave him children.
Also the prophet says in another Hadith (whoever can afford to marry, he or she must do){narrated by ALBOKHARI- MUSLIAM-ABUDAWOOD-ALTERMIZI-ALNASAEI-IBN MAGA-}.
Thanks Allah for the blessing of Islam
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By: Abduldaem Al-Kaheel
References:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Audacity_of_Hope
- http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2009/01/reducing-poverty-by-revitalizing-marriage-in-low-income-communities
- http://www.heritage.org/About/Staff/R/Robert-Rector
- http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=marriage_poverty_and_public_policy
- http://www.cjr.org/the_audit/marriage_boosts_income_says_me.php
