Single mothers who earn an associate’s or bachelor’s degree earn more, pay more in taxes and require little if any public assistance according to a new study.
A study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) provides state-level analysis on the economic and social returns for single mothers who are able to access higher education and earn their degrees.
Singles mothers are more likely to live in poverty than other women, but the opportunity to enroll in a college or university and earn a degree can completely change that. However, they face numerous obstacles on the road to degree completion, including tuition, food insecurity and stable childcare. Ninety-two percent of single mothers do not graduate on time.
The study, “Investing in Single Mothers’ Higher Education: National and State Estimates of the Costs and Benefits of Single Mothers’ Educational Attainment to Individuals, Families, and Society,” not only shows the benefit to the mothers and their families, but to state and national economies. Fact sheets for all 50 states plus the District of Columbia are available online at https://iwpr.org/tools-data/investing-in-single-moms-by-state/.
Almost 10% of all U.S. undergraduates are single mothers. States with the highest percentages are Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi. IWPR utilized data from several sources, including the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey and Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.
The data shows that single mothers who have an associate’s degree earn $256,000 more over their lifetimes than they would have with only a high school diploma. Lifetime earnings are calculated for the age span 35–64. With a bachelor’s degree, the difference is $625,000 on average.
“We were able to provide state-level data for not only how many single mothers are enrolled in college, but also the benefits to them and to state economies of single mothers’ degree attainment,” said Lindsey Reichlin Cruse, study director at IWPR. “We feel this type of research is really effective for making the case for greater investment in single mothers’ college success because it demonstrates a clear economic case that there is money to be made for families and for society more broadly when we help these single mothers graduate successfully.”
