We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
What's (Not) Wrong With Low-Income Marriages.
- Authors
Trail, Thomas E.; Karney, Benjamin R.
- Abstract
In the United States, low marriage rates and high divorce rates among the poor have led policymakers to target this group for skills- and values-based interventions. The current research evaluated the assumptions underlying these interventions; specifically, the authors examined whether low-income respondents held less traditional values toward marriage, had unrealistic standards for marriage, and had more problems managing relational problems than higher income respondents. They assessed these issues in a stratified random sample that oversampled low-income and non-White populations (N = 6,012). The results demonstrated that, relative to higher income respondents, low-income respondents held more traditional values toward marriage, had similar romantic standards for marriage, and experienced similar skills-based relationship problems. Low-income groups had higher economic standards for marriage and experienced more problems related to economic and social issues (e.g., money, drinking/drug use) than did higher income respondents. Thus, efforts to save low-income marriages should directly confront the economic and social realities these couples face.
- Subjects
UNITED States; MARRIED people; MARITAL relations; POOR families; SOCIAL status; MARITAL statistics; DIVORCE statistics; FAMILY policy; PUBLIC welfare laws; ECONOMIC history; SOCIAL history
- Publication
Journal of Marriage & Family, 2012, Vol 74, Issue 3, p413
- ISSN
0022-2445
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1741-3737.2012.00977.x