For Richer or Poorer?

The current jobless rate is affecting the divorce rate but not necessarily in the way that you might think. We all remember the part of our vows when we said, “…for richer or poorer.”

Ohio State has recently published a study that links male joblessness with marital problems.

Previous surveys that had been done found that 75% of the women surveyed said they would not marry a jobless man. In addition, now the findings indicate that unemployment has a large effect on whether or not a couple stays married.

But…the kicker is that the unemployment that matters is the man’s unemployment.  Ohio State found that a woman’s employment status had no bearing on whether the couples stayed together. A woman’s employment status also had no bearing on whether she would leave or stay.

Men who were unemployed faced a greater risk that their wives would leave and also that they would initiate the divorce themselves.

The gist of the findings was that in the United States, it is still believed that the man should be the breadwinner. When he is unemployed both the men and the women are effected negatively.

Photo: aflcio