The Rich Stay Married
Forty years ago, about nine of 10 American men between the ages of 30 and 50 were married, and the most highly paid men were just slightly more likely to wed than those paid least. Since then, earnings for men in the top tenth of the income distribution have risen and their marriage rates have fallen slightly, from 95 percent in 1970 to 83 percent today.
For men further down the income ladder, however, both earnings and their chances of connubial bliss have plummeted.
In inflation-adjusted terms, the median earnings for men in that age group have fallen about 28 percent since 1970. In the same period, their marriage rates have fallen to 64 percent, from 91 percent.
Source: Catherine Rampell at The New York Times Economix blog.
This topic was really hammered home in Charles Murray’s new book “Coming Apart.” The decline in marriage rates in the U.S. (and several other Western nations) is a disturbing trend and wealth is a key variable.
Marriage and a wife, who played social secretary (and sole caregiver to children), was probably a necessity for successful men 40 years ago. Now wives have jobs — about one-third of which out earn their husbands.
At the other end of the income spectrum, poorly-paid men are poor marriage material. The fact they are poorly-paid may be an indicator of other skills that are lacking — including ambition, perseverance and social skills. It’s no wonder why women reject unsuccessful men as potential husbands. What I cannot figure out is why women have children with them despite the lack of commitment or the ability to contribute to the family in any meaningful way.
A important question derived from this is what it means for population decline.