Wilcox cites two amazing statistics: 65% of children whose mother did not go beyond high school spend part of their young childhood in a one parent home. On the other hand, only 8% of children whose mother has a bachelor's degree or higher have that experience.
Rising levels of single parenthood in poor and working-class communities, coupled with high levels of marital stability among more educated and affluent communities, necessarily translate into greater economic inequality between these two groups.Social stratification - the hardening of class lines - continues apace. This isn't good.
Almost one-third of the growth in family income inequality since the 1970s can be connected to this decline in marriage. (snip) Stagnation in family income over this same period is mainly a phenomenon among unmarried families, not married families.
Overall, marital happiness has declined since the divorce revolution. In the 1970s, about 66 percent of husbands and wives were very happy, whereas in the 2000s only about 60 percent were, despite the fact that a lower share of Americans were getting and staying married.
Not only has marital quality declined, on average, but we’re also seeing a growing class-based divide in marital quality.
