Editor’s Note: A version of the following article was published in the Daily Caller. Click here to read it.
Beautiful and incredibly talented pop superstar Beyonce Knowles is well-known for her song urging men to “put a ring on it” and famously took her own advice. She dated rap singer “Jay-Z” Carter, got married, and is now pregnant with the couple’s first child. The public is so enthralled by them that when she showed up a recent awards show, well, showing, Twitter almost crashed. Way to go Beyonce! That’s one lucky kid.
Justin Combs, the son of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, upon hearing the news that Beyonce is expecting, tweeted “Beyonce dated, married, THEN got pregnant young ladies take note.” Good for him.
Now all those supposed women’s groups are up in arms because his comments supposedly shame and stigmatize single mothers and their offspring. They are mad at him for stating the obvious. They’re mad because he would dare to make a judgment about whether or not kids are better off with a mom and dad who got married. Really? That’s foolish. Shouldn’t people of influence use it to encourage kids to make good decisions?
Although Beyonce wasn’t trying to make a political statement and was just living her life in a way that makes sense, God bless her for setting a great example to all the young women who idolize her.
When President Lyndon Johnson declared the War on Poverty in the mid-1960s, only six percent of children were born out-of-wedlock. In 2008, that number rose significantly to 40.6 percent. Among African-Americans, that number skyrockets to 72.3 percent, which means that nearly three-out-of-four black children are born out-of-wedlock. There is no way numbers this high in both the black and white communities are from accidental pregnancies. That’s a different issue.
This is about the relevance of dads. Hollywood isn’t helping young women by pretending that fathers are extraneous and there are no consequences to becoming a single mom.
There are numerous studies that indicate life is much more difficult for kids who grow up without a dad. They are at increased risk from everything from quitting school to drug and alcohol abuse, and they’re at high risk for poor social and cognitive development. Indeed, out-of-wedlock births are the largest indicator of poverty. According to the U.S. Census Bureau:
- The poverty rate of single mothers with children is five times higher than for married couples with children;
- The poverty rate for single fathers is almost 2.5 times higher;
- Poor children in single-parent households constitute almost two-thirds of all poor children.
Being married gives couples a huge financial advantage. In 2008, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the poverty rate among black married couples was 6.9 percent, while the rate for non-married black families was seven times higher at 35.3 percent. That’s a huge difference. Those differences are echoed in the white community.
Certainly Beyonce’s and Jay-Z’s children won’t have to worry about poverty, given that their parents are superstars. They could have chosen any path, but stars or not, they are setting a tremendous example by waiting until they were married to start a family. Congratulations!