What about These Children? Assessing Poverty among the ‘Hidden Population’ of Multiracial Children in Single-Mother Families

Jenifer Bratter, Rice University
Sarah Damaske, Rice University

Capturing the conditions of children of color living in single-parent families has become more complex due to the growing presence of interracial families. This analysis assesses the size and poverty status of single-female headed families housing multiracial children. Using data from the 2000 Census, we find nine percent of single female headed families house either children who are classified with more than one race or are classified as a single race different than their mothers. Logistic regression analyses assessing the odds of poverty finds that multiracial families, like most families of color, are more likely to experience poverty than white monoracial families. The one exception is Asian multiracial families who have similar poverty rates as white monoracial families.