The Economics Of Marriage

Ever wonder why poverty is increasing so markedly in the United States?  If you take a really thoughtful look you’ll discover that it’s not just about the lack of jobs or the low wages…although I’m all for raising the minimum wage.  It’s not just about big greedy corporations or poor government policies either.

One of the biggest issues is that well over 50% of our marriages end in divorce.  We have huge numbers of single parent families raising children.  That is a huge economic dislocation.  If you couple that with the rising rate of high school dropouts and the disturbing trend in college to take degree courses that have no real hope of jobs upon graduation…you have a recipe for disaster.

Take a moment to think what just a divorce costs in a marriage.  Not only do you lose half your stuff and have to buy it all over again, but you also now have to pay twice the utilities, rent or mortgage, property taxes and the like.  These are some of the biggest outlays in your monthly paycheck.  If you’re a guy you are also likely paying alimony and child support on top of that.  If we simply learned to pick our spouse well and try to love them well, we’d make a HUGE difference in our standard of living…and maybe our kids would turn out better as well.

Then there is the huge increase in women having children out of wedlock and raising them alone…how cool is that?  NOT!  The statistics on single parent families headed by women are not economically encouraging at all.

Now lest you think I’m talking from my high horse of superiority…I’m not.  I raised my kids by myself for many years.  I know life isn’t perfect and neither am I, and I have great sympathy for those going through divorce and those raising children alone.  But I gotta tell ya, it ain’t the way it’s ‘spose to be…and for very good reasons.  God made us to be a family and to work hard at it.  Apply those same principles to finishing school and sticking to a job and you have a better recipe for success and economic stability.