We've all heard the advice: "Follow your heart." But when your heart is on the line, data — not emotion — is what protects you.
At Is He Worthy, we built our assessment methodology on a simple premise: the most important decisions of your life deserve more than a gut feeling. They deserve evidence.
Below are six statistics from the CDC, U.S. Census Bureau, and peer-reviewed research that show exactly what's at stake when relationships fail — and why evaluating a partner before you're emotionally entangled is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your future children.
1. Children of Divorce Earn 9–13% Less Income as Adults
A landmark 2025 U.S. Census Bureau working paper analyzing federal tax records and Social Security data found that parental divorce in early childhood reduced children's income in their mid- to late 20s by 9% to 13%.
Divorced households fell from the 57th to the 36th percentile of income and recovered only about half of that lost income over the next decade. Families relocated to neighborhoods with 7% lower incomes and fewer economic opportunities.
What this means for women: The financial consequences of choosing the wrong partner don't end when the relationship does. They compound — affecting where you live, what schools your children attend, and how much financial security you can build over a lifetime.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Working Paper (Jones, Johnston & Pope, 2025)
2. Teen Birth Rates Jump 63% After Parental Divorce
The same Census Bureau study found that teen birth rates among children of divorce jumped 63% following the split, compared to pre-divorce levels.
This isn't just a statistic. It represents real girls who grew up without a model of what a healthy, data-driven relationship looks like — and entered their own relationships without the tools to evaluate whether a partner was truly worthy of them.
What this means for women: The relationship patterns you model for your daughter become her blueprint. When she sees you tolerate less than you deserve, she learns to do the same. When she sees you choose with clarity and hold high standards, she learns that she is worthy of the same.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Working Paper (Jones, Johnston & Pope, 2025)
3. Children of Divorce Face a 35–55% Higher Risk of Early Death
Perhaps the most sobering finding: the risk of early death (before age 25) increased by 35% to 55% at the time of divorce and remained elevated for at least a decade — an impact the researchers described as comparable to lacking health insurance.
The incarceration rate among the study group was three times higher than for children of always-married parents. Divorce increased the average distance between children and their nonresident parent by 100 miles, widening to over 200 miles after 10 years.
What this means for women: The partner you choose today doesn't just affect your happiness — he affects your children's survival. When we say "Is He Worthy," we mean: is he worthy of the life you're building, the children you may raise, and the future they deserve?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Working Paper (Jones, Johnston & Pope, 2025)
4. More Than 1 in 3 Women Experience Intimate Partner Violence
According to the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, more than 1 in 3 women (nearly 43.5 million) experienced contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner during their lifetimes.
The lifetime economic cost of intimate partner violence — including medical care, lost productivity, and criminal justice costs — is $3.6 trillion. The cost per female victim over a lifetime: $103,767.
About 1 in 5 homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner, and over half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former male partner.
What this means for women: This is not a fringe problem. It affects more than a third of women you know. The earlier you can identify red flags — controlling behavior, isolation, escalating jealousy — the earlier you can exit before the cost becomes irreversible.
Source: CDC National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (2026)
5. Single Mothers Face a 28% Poverty Rate — vs. 5% for Married Mothers
Data from the Current Population Survey shows that single mothers had a poverty rate of 28% in 2022, compared to just 5% for married mothers. Single-mother families are five times more likely to live in poverty than two-parent families.
In 2021, 9.5% of children living with two parents lived below the poverty level, compared to 31.7% of children living with a single parent — a gap that has persisted for decades.
What this means for women: The decision to commit to a partner is, in part, an economic one. This is not about wealth — it's about partnership, stability, and shared responsibility. A man who is unwilling to contribute to a shared future is not just a romantic disappointment; he is a financial liability to you and your children.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (2023); OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book (2021)
6. Children of Divorce Are Up to 3x More Likely to Divorce Themselves
Research from the University of Utah found that children of divorced parents are up to twice as likely to end their own marriages. When both spouses come from divorced families, that risk jumps to three times the rate of couples from intact families.
This phenomenon — called the "intergenerational transmission of divorce" — occurs because children learn relationship patterns from what they observe growing up. Without a model of healthy conflict resolution, mutual respect, and clear standards, they enter their own relationships with the same blind spots their parents had.
What this means for women: You have the power to break the cycle. By evaluating partners with data — not just chemistry — you model a new pattern for your children. You teach them that love is not a feeling you fall into, but a decision you make with your eyes open.
Source: Wolfinger, N.H., University of Utah Department of Family and Consumer Studies
What the Data Tells Us
These six statistics paint a clear picture: relationship failures are not private emotional events. They have generational, financial, and even life-or-death consequences — especially for women and children.
But here's what the data also tells us: these outcomes are preventable.
Every one of these statistics represents a decision point that came too late. A red flag that was explained away. A standard that was quietly lowered. A gut feeling that was dismissed as "overthinking."
The W.O.R.T.H.Y. assessment framework exists to move that decision point earlier — before you're emotionally entangled, before you've merged your life, before children are involved. It gives you six clear dimensions to evaluate any partner against:
- W — Is he a Winner in life, or coasting?
- O — What Obstacles does he bring into your life?
- R — What's his Recoverability from failure?
- T — Is the relationship Torture more than joy?
- H — Does he have Heart — empathy, kindness, integrity?
- Y — Do Your Friends and family see what you see?
When you score a partner against these dimensions before your heart takes over, you make a decision that's clear-headed, defensible, and — most importantly — worthy of the future you deserve.
The data is clear. The question is whether you'll use it.
Ready to evaluate your relationship with data instead of emotion? Build your Standards List and run your first W.O.R.T.H.Y. assessment →
