I encourage you to read this recent article from the New York Times. I found this article through an e-mail from my premarital counseling tool that I use, Prepare and Enrich. The title of the article is, "How did Marriage Become a Mark of Privilege?" The title ends up being a bit tricky. It seems from the sociological evidence in the article, that privilege may be a mark of marriage.
Another very interesting and informational link for you to consider is this video that makes reference to the "marriage premium." After looking at these two links, you will see evidence that making the choice to live with a boyfriend or girlfriend for financial reasons is erroneous. An excerpt from the above mentioned e-mail from the Prepare and Enrich organization says, "Over the past 25 years, a sharp class distinction has emerged, with only 26% of poor adults and 39% of working class adults being married, while 56% of middle- and upper-class adults are married."
As stated in the article, there are two ways to look at this change. A liberal view will say that economic factors have made marriage an institution for the privileged. If there were more jobs, better redistribution of wealth and adequate government programs, more poor people would get married and be happily married. An conservative view may say that cultural breakdown and its following poor choices have led to economic breakdown for individuals who now incur the ramifications of the devaluation of marriage.
A Biblical and compassionate view would suggest these alternatives. First, our nation and its social net system needs to remove economic hindrances to marriage for people receiving services or funds. Part of the problem not addressed in the New York Times article is that many poor people who receive benefits may loose part of that benefit if they were to marry and so they choose to live together. Second, as stated in the New York Times article, the church and local civic groups can play a big part in helping people reshape their views on married life and find encouragement in a community of shared values. Third, though the Biblical view does not promote marriage over single living, it does say that to honor marriage brings the blessings of God and to have a low value of marriage brings the depletion of those blessings. Many blessings follow those who honor the Lord.
An interesting set of thoughts following our most recent message at LSC on Marriage, Divorce, and Singleness.
