First, the Achievement Gap. Now, the Marriage Gap?

First, the achievement gap.

Now, the marriage gap.

A new gap between the economic classes has been identified in America – the marriage gap.

A study by the Pew Research Center and Time Magazine shows that marriage rates are shifting along class lines. In 2008, a 16-percentage point gap existed between the marriage rates of college graduates and of those with a high school diploma or less.

This shift has happened over time. In 1960, the marriage gap was just four percentage points, with educated people marrying at a rate of 76 percent, compared to 72 percent for those with a high school diploma or less.

Some experts, including those affiliated with the study, say that the shift is occurring because couples who are not educated are struggling financially. And while people with lower education levels are willing to live together while their financial footing is shaky, many feel they do not want to enter marriage until they are financially established.

In some cases, individual debt levels are likely to be a factor, since some potential spouses might be hesitant to take on a marriage partner’s debt. In other cases, couples might stay single so that the person with the higher credit rating can still secure credit when needed.

Some may argue that the marriage gap doesn’t matter – that, perhaps, marriage is an outdated institution, anyway. But the study does not seem to support this notion, particularly since adults with low and high levels of education were both equally likely to say they wanted to get married.

And research has consistently shown that marriage has clear economic benefits.

People, particularly women, who are unmarried are more likely to live in poverty. The cycle soon becomes a vicious, self-perpetuating one, where an increasing number of children nationwide are born to couples in uncertain unions. Those children then are more likely to be raised in poverty and to be less likely to earn an education themselves.

Does the marriage gap matter? How might we as educational and social justice advocates best advocate for change? What policy decisions might make marriage a more attainable goal for lower-income families? How are children and families best served?