Marriage gap

I can think of a lot of reasons why these figures might exist but they're still shocking. The divide in divorce rate among the economic classes in our country is dramatic, and indicative of a more widespread suffering.

Economist:

There is a widening gulf between how the best- and least-educated Americans approach marriage and child-rearing. Among the elite (excluding film stars), the nuclear family is holding up quite well. Only 4% of the children of mothers with college degrees are born out of wedlock. And the divorce rate among college-educated women has plummeted. Of those who first tied the knot between 1975 and 1979, 29% were divorced within ten years. Among those who first married between 1990 and 1994, only 16.5% were.

At the bottom of the education scale, the picture is reversed. Among high-school dropouts, the divorce rate rose from 38% for those who first married in 1975-79 to 46% for those who first married in 1990-94. Among those with a high school diploma but no college, it rose from 35% to 38%. And these figures are only part of the story. Many mothers avoid divorce by never marrying in the first place. The out-of-wedlock birth rate among women who drop out of high school is 15%. Among African-Americans, it is a staggering 67%.

Does this matter? Kay Hymowitz of the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think-tank, says it does. In her book “Marriage and Caste in America”, she argues that the “marriage gap” is the chief source of the country's notorious and widening inequality. Middle-class kids growing up with two biological parents are “socialised for success”. They do better in school, get better jobs and go on to create intact families of their own. Children of single parents or broken families do worse in school, get worse jobs and go on to have children out of wedlock. This makes it more likely that those born near the top or the bottom will stay where they started. America, argues Ms Hymowitz, is turning into “a nation of separate and unequal families”.

Comments

[Swiss Miss]

But I thought the growing divorce rate in this country was the fault of liberals and gays....?

[Klayton Elliot Kendall]

Libs and gays without college degrees, apparently!

[ohwilleke]

Financial stability is clearly good for marriage.

[Friar_Tuck]

I would like to know if they are doing anything to determine which came first, the poverty or the divorce.

As one who grew up under the poverty line in a single parent family, I would think that there might be a lot of evidence that people become poorer as a result of their divorce, not just that peopledivorce as a result of their poverty, which seems to be the direction you were going.

[zen]

Financial pressures are a major reason for divorce in America.

From NC State Forum for Family and Consumer Issues

"Research shows that debt brought into marriage is the number one problem area for newlyweds (Center for Marriage and Family 2000; Schramm and Lee 2003). In fact, 67 percent of women and 74 percent of men enter marriage with at least some debt (Schramm and Lee 2003). Because participants were asked not to include home loans, debt was reported to come primarily from auto loans, credit cards, student loans, and medical bills."

...

"There is evidence that couples' financial problems (including debt) are linked to increased levels of stress, conflict, and marital duress as well as decreased levels of marital satisfaction (Sanchez and Gager 2000). Financial problems are frequently cited as a major reason for divorce (Sanchez and Gager 2000). Bowen et. al. (1995) and Voydanoff's (1991) research indicate that an individual's personal coping mechanisms are crucial for couples dealing with financial stress, such as overwhelming debt. Couples must have sufficient self-mastery to control spending and make necessary life changes. They also need sufficient self-esteem to believe they are capable of weathering the financial storm of burdensome debt."