Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash
America has long faced a very dangerous myth told to us by the so-called “experts”: that “kids will be fine” after the divorce of their parents. Well, a massive new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research monitored over one million children across fifty years—and its findings demand both attention and moral urgency.
First and foremost, divorce devastates a family’s financial foundation. Post-divorce household incomes plunge to less than half of what intact married households earned—and never fully recover. These children reach adulthood earning roughly 13% less in their late twenties—a setback equivalent to losing an entire year of education or being confined to a low-income neighborhood.
The human toll deepens: children of divorce are 60% more likely to experience teen pregnancy and face significantly higher childhood mortality rates. Many feel severed from one parent—often living an average of 100 miles apart. They are 40% more likely to end up in prison, half as likely to obtain a college degree, and endure a staggering 45% higher risk of early adult death compared to peers of married parents.
And while full of helpful numbers, this study is not mere statistical correlation of what happens to kids after divorce—it illuminates causation. Divorce itself spawns disadvantage—financial, physical, and emotional.
This new data really is a call upon us for cultural repentance and change. Society has long peddled the comforting lie that broken families can survive and thrive just fine. But this new evidence proves otherwise: divorce strips children of the stability and security that only committed, two-parent homes consistently deliver. Each statistic is not just an indicator of family values abandoned—but a warning that our civilization is being weakened.
Christians and conservative communities cannot remain idle. The remedy isn’t policy alone—it’s cultural persuasion: to promote marriage, affirm covenant commitment, and counsel couples toward reconciliation wherever possible. If conservatives truly champion human flourishing, we must spearhead a movement to let holy matrimony shape not just our beliefs, but our families.
This post originally appeared at https://phyllisschlafly.com/family/the-myth-of-healthy-kids-from-divorce/
Phyllis Schlafly