A frequent mistake is to ascribe causation to correlation. A relationship is causal if one factor directly brings about another, that is, the second factor could not have and would not have occurred if not for the first. As stated above, almost never is there a single cause for social phenomena. A correlation is simply a relationship. Two things occur at the same time, or one after the other, but one does not cause the other, rather they both may be caused by other, non-related factors.
Some people say that welfare programs have caused single- parent families.
They often point to statistics that show a large increase in single-parent families amongst poor people, especially black Americans, at the same time that welfare spending was increased in the United States. Some welfare programs, especially Aid to Families with Dependent Children, required that the parent be unmarried in order to qualify. A single woman does not have a husband's income to include in her application and therefore would be more likely to receive benefits. Some people argue that in order to receive more welfare benefits many women do not marry or decide to divorce. A critical thinker is wary of simple explanations.