Emily Badger complicates the relationship between single motherhood and poverty, pointing out that it’s not at all clear which is the cause and which the effect:
That chart could easily be embraced by those convinced that “culture” is the problem here, that we should blame the prevalence of single mothers — or the absence of fathers — for the fact that poor children have little chance to move up in the world in some communities.
But that argument ignores what marriage might actually look like to a woman living in a neighborhood with high rates of poverty, unemployment and incarceration. It’s true that marriage can bring stability and emotional benefits to the children of middle- and upper-class families. But that’s not because the institution of marriage itself is universally beneficial. It’s because certain kinds of marriages are beneficial, such as those between adults who don’t have to worry about getting evicted, who can afford to pay their medical bills, who don’t contend with the surrounding stresses of violence or joblessless or having to get to work without a car.
The Dish 