Welfare effects on the marital decisions of never-married mothers

The economic theory of marriage suggests that more general that more genero us welfare benefits should serve to reduce the probability of marriage amon g mothers who have given birth out of wedlock. This relationship is explore d using data on never-married mothers in the National Longitudinal Survey o f Youth. Only very limited evidence indicates that higher welfare presents loll rr the probability of marriage for nonblack never-married mothers. For black never-married mothers, the results suggest that higher benefits are associated with higher marriage rates.