Sociology Commons^™

The International Child Poverty Gap: Does Demography Matter?, Patrick Heuveline, Matthew Weinshenker

Sociology Faculty Publications

According to the Luxembourg Income Study data, the United States child poverty rate is the second highest among 15 high-income nations. The present work reveals that 55% of all American children living in a household headed by a single female with no other adult live in poverty —the highest rate for any of the five living arrangements in the 15 countries examined by this Study. While previous analyses have focused on market forces and governmental redistribution across households, we question the contribution of demographic factors that place children in family structures with different poverty risks relative to other factors such …