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The Effects on Children of Living in a Two-Parent Home

In 2009, 70 percent of children in America lived in two-parent homes, according to Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Eighty-eight percent of these children lived with both of their biological parents. Children from two-parent homes are less likely to experience financial, health, educational and psychological difficulties than children from other family structures.

  1. Financial Benefits

    • Children who live in two-parent households are less likely to live in poverty than those in single-parent families, and economic stability results in better overall health for children. Children who grow up above the poverty line are also less likely to experience educational or behavioral problems.

    Health-Related Benefits

    • Children living with two married parents have better overall health than those who live in other family structures. According to North Carolina Family Policy Council, parental divorce diminishes life expectancy for a child by four years. Children who live in intact families are less likely to be abused. Marital status of parents also reduces the likelihood of infant mortality. Children born to unmarried mothers have a 50 percent greater risk of infant mortality.

    School Behavior

    • According to the Institute for American Values, young children living with two parents are three times less likely to suffer from behavioral disorders, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, than those who do not. Children from intact families are 30 percent less likely to be tardy, cut classes or be absent from school. Children, particularly boys, who live with both parents are less likely to engage in misbehavior at school. However, children from two-parent homes with high levels of conflict have higher incidences of misbehavior than children from divorced families or single-parent homes.

    Academic Benefits

    • Young children living with both parents are more likely to engage in literacy-related activities. In school, children from intact families are more likely to perform at grade level than those from other family structures. Children living with both biological parents tend to score higher on tests of reading comprehension than those living with stepparents or single mothers. Children from single-parent households tend to score lower on tests of math achievement than other children. Children from intact families are also less likely to drop out of high school and are more likely to attend college, says the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values.

    Risky Behaviors

    • Children who live in intact families are less likely to use tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs. Children from two-parent homes, whether biological or stepparents, are less likely to engage in sexual behavior. Young women living with two parents have lower rates of teen pregnancy than those from single-parent homes. Children from intact families are half as likely to be arrested by age 14 than those from single-parent homes or stepparent homes. Male adolescents who live in fatherless homes are at greatest risk of being arrested, according to the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values.

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