The word privilege is being used to describe everything today, and that has caused some people to start thinking about the privilege of marriage.
The wealthier you are, the better-off your parents were, the more likely you are to marry.
Wedding rates have been dropping statistically for decades. Bellaire psychologist Dr. Debbie Grammas says she’s not surprised to find that socioeconomic status plays a role in who is most likely to walk down the aisle. “The people who grow up with privilege are taught that you go to school, you get a good job and then you have babies. That’s what your family has traditionally done,” she explains. Even in 1990, 65% of middle and upper-class adults were married, compared to 51% of poor adults. Today 77% of upper and middle class adults grew up in two-parent households in nice neighborhoods, most surrounded by the social stability of suburbia. 36% of children born to working class women are born out of wedlock. “If you don’t grow up with all these tools it’s like these people with privilege get the road map on how to do things and you don’t get it. You have to figure it out on your own,” Dr. Grammas tells KTRH News.
“Privilege” may be too trendy of a word to apply to marriage patterns among American adults, but it is hard to deny that where you grew up on the social spectrum economically will influence greatly how well you are able to navigate the norms of modern life, marriage being a big part of that.