Research Report Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence
Caroline Ratcliffe, Signe-Mary McKernan
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One in six newborns were born poor over the past 40 years, and nearly half remained poor half their childhoods. These persistently poor children are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school and are four times more likely to give birth outside of marriage during their teenage years. Children whose parents did not complete high school are less likely to complete high school themselves. This paper examines the magnitude of child poverty, family characteristics related to childhood poverty persistence, and childhood povertys lasting consequences.

Research Areas Social safety net Race and equity
Tags Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Racial and ethnic disparities Economic well-being Race, gender, class, and ethnicity Women and girls Families with low incomes Racial barriers to accessing the safety net