COLLEGE EDUCATION BETTERS CHANCE OF FAMILY SUCCESS

The recently published Marriage at the Crossroads by Garrison and Scott, contains alarming statistics and observations on the American family. This book was reviewed in the Summer 2013 issue of Family Law Quarterly published by the ABA Family Law Section. Some alarming statistics and observations:

Unemployment. In the 70's male unemployment varied little by class or education, but in 2010 the unemployment rate for college graduates was 4.6% compared to 10.3% for those without college degrees.
Earnings. In 1997 males who did not graduate from high school earned 70% of what they earned in 1973. College graduate income increased and more jobs required a college degree.
Marriage and Divorce. Men without a college degree marry less than men with degrees, and the divorce rate is substantially higher.
Female Divorce Rate. For those marrying between 1990 and 1994, 47% of women without a high school diploma divorced within 10 years, compared to 37% for high school graduates and only 16% for college graduates.
Birth Outside Marriage. In 1950 only 4% of children were born to an unwed mother. In 2007, 39.7%. From 1997 to 2001 93% of women with college degrees who gave birth were married, compared to 57% of mothers who were high school graduates and 39% of mothers who did not finish high school.

While today’s thinking is that no one can choose a “model family,” the statistics above require careful thought.