Effects Of The Economy On Marriage - 1336 Words

Running Head: MARRIAGE AND MONEY 1 Marriage and Money A discussion of the effects of the economy on marriage Olivia Rusdal Arizona State University This paper was prepared for Marriage and Family Relationships, taught by Mrs. Brougham. MARRIAGE AND MONEY 2 Children are born every day and as they grow up, they gathering experiences to create goals, dreams and aspirations. As adults these goals become realities and with today’s changing economy, some of them can shift. In the past the social norm was a â€Å"rural-based economy† (5), for the man to be the breadwinner, take care of the family financially and participate in hard labor, while the woman was to take care of the children, the house and the home-life of†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Overall, married adults have made greater economic gains over the past four decades than unmarried adults† (2). The economy falling leads to desperate measures in those seeking work. People fortunate enough to maintain a job, tend to be working long hard hours in order to keep their job. For single people, this consumes the time that would normally be spent in their search for a mate. For married couples, this creates an entirely different set of issues. MARRIAGE AND MONEY 3 Working in the current economy has increased the job stress influences the people of the work force. â€Å"Work and family arc two major domains in our lives† and the true dilemma is how to keep them balanced (3). The decline in the economy makes finding a job and achieving career goals much more difficult. This issue alone can result in additional stress in a marriage, and change people’s thoughts on when or if being married is appropriate. â€Å"These days, Americans are more likely than in the past to cohabit, divorce, marry late or not marry at all† (2) and this comes from the lack of funds to sustain a marriage. â€Å"Money has the no. 1 point of conflict in the majority of marriages† (6) and as money is a necessity, this increases the statistic that â€Å"upon entering a marriage, there is at least a 50% chance that it will end in divorce† (3). This is evidence that â€Å"strong marriages take investment†