The researchers discovered that married parents contributed about 8 percent of their income to their child's college costs and met 77 percent of their children's financial needs; divorced parents contributed about 6 percent of their income and met only 42 percent of their children's financial needs; remarried parents contributed only 5 percent of their income and met 53 percent of their children's needs.
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Why marriage matters to children Reason # 5690848
Financial Burden Greater for College Students With Divorced or Remarried Parents
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Renee, when you were researching these numbers did you notice what the income of these families were? I'm curious to see if the divorced couples made less since financial strife seems the number one cause of divorce. That would put a whole new perspective on why they are paying less to educate and assist their children.
ReplyDeleteYou know, Michelle, there's a lot of factors in that.
ReplyDeleteOne is that divorce also costs a lot of money.
Another is that single parents raising children require trading in some potential salary for more flexible hours.
Another is that parents show less responsibility towards children after a divorce where they see them so infrequently.
Another is post-alimony fatigue where a parent can feel they have already payed for a child and is ready to be rid of the financial burden.
Sociologists have always struggled with the fact that parents who stay together seem to have better income then those that don't. And it are many dimensions to the issue.