C.D.F. Study Tracks Worsening Plight Of Young Children in Young Families

By Deborah L. Cohen

WASHINGTON--A sharp drop in income and a rise in child poverty among young families since 1973 has turned the gap between the standard of living for younger and older families into a "chasm,'' according to a report released last week by the Children's Defense Fund.

The study showed that between 1973 and 1990, the median annual income of families with children headed by persons under age 30 fell by 32 percent, and their child-poverty rate doubled, from 20 percent to 40 percent. For older families, the median income dropped by 6 percent, and for families without children it rose by 11 percent over the same period.

"The implicit message to young Americans is frighteningly clear: bearing and raising and nurturing children may no longer be compatible with active pursuit of the American dream,'' said Marian Wright Edelman,...