Ok, someone tell me WHY poor folk get divorced than any other?

[JasonDeter]

Its a very simple answer. A clue: More poor folk stay married than any other.

And this should be a huge insult to poor people, will the media say so?

[Hep]

1. Poor people don't vote, and poor people don't buy SUV's

so I doubt the media will care much how poor people feel.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

2. We do too vote

When we're sufficiently angry (more unemployment and tax cuts for the wealthy, anyone?).

[Hep]

4. Well

When I think about poor people, I generally think of people who are too poor to post to message boards. I mean, my household income is less than $40,000 for two people. Way less. I have trouble making ends meet. But I don't consider myself poor.

Sorry to paint with a broad brush. I should have pointed out what I mean by poor people.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

5. Just curious...

What would you define as "too poor to post on message boards?"

[Hep]

7. People who can't afford a computer or an ISP or a phone for that matter.

People who post to message boards are generally middle class and up. People who have desk jobs. The exception would be students.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

12. Perpetually the exception...

That's me. :shrug:

[Kanary]

19. It gets lonely there, doesn't it?

Well said... "Perpetually the exception"

Mind if I quote you on that?

I know first-hand the isolation of being "different" from all the accepted categories. It's discouraging.

Kanary

[afraid_of_the_dark]

25. Feel free

:)

[whatelseisnew]

41. you are not alone n/t

[Kanary]

47. of course I am. that's reality

[Kanary]

15. Think again.

Many libraries have internet availability.

A phone is NOT a luxury, it is a necessity.

People could have a hand-me-down computer, a phone and a free or cheap ISP but not have a car, or a decent place to live or health care.

There are programs for providing used computers to poor families with school children.

When people don't have the money for the necessities of life, they put a few dollars on things to make everyday life beearable. That shouldn't come as a surprise.

Kanary

[Hep]

20. Fair enough

But I don't see this as being the norm.

[Kanary]

28. Maybe because it's not where you are?

"Norm" is in the eye of the beholder.

It depends on who you know.

Going by stereotypes doesn't lead to understanding.

The fence that separates us is huge, and that's why there's so much misunderstanding.

Kanary

[JasonDeter]

36. I know EXACTLY what you mean.

How about way less than 40000 for a family of 5? Its tough out there in the working world. And republicans and many many Democratics in congresss have no clue what its like to be poor. If they did they wouldn't spend 87 billion on Iraq while Americans suffer.

[BiggJawn]

43. I'm glad you don't consider yourself Poor.

Because you ARE.

Seriously, people who have SUV's, 3,000 Sq. foot "McMansions" and $100,000 incomes consider themselves "middle class". What have you in common with them, other than the fact neither of you consider yourselves "poor"?

I'm a single guy with a 38 kilkobuck paycheck and a $425 a month rent. Paycheck doesn't stretch far enough sometimes here, either.

I'm Poor. what you must think of as being "poor" I consider Poverty-stricken, like old people eating cat food or folks in "the Hills".

[afraid_of_the_dark]

3. Aren't most fights about money?

And I believe that financial reasons are the biggest reason cited for divorce. So it would make sense that those who don't have money would fight about it more often (it's stressful when you can't pay your bills), and that frequent fighting would lead to divorce.

[Hep]

6. That's an interesting point

but I'm not sure if I agree. Seems like families that have money fight more. Families with no money have to work together to survive. It's families WITH money that fight over it.

Just a differenceof perception. I'm going to have to think long and hard about whether I'm right on this one.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

11. I'm not sure either...

But I think it's a viable hypothesis. I'm sure there's plenty of other good explanations as well.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

16. I guess they just fight over how to spend it.

Darned if you do, darned if you don't.

[Hep]

23. I work all freaking day so my wife can buy a PRADA bag

!!!

Not me, just an example of how I picture the argument down the street!

[afraid_of_the_dark]

29. I've heard similar complaints

And they're all about how women are wasteful about spending money. Granted, I know females like that, but I also know some very fiscally irresponsible males. It's not always the woman who is spending frivolously.

[Hep]

32. You're talking to the proud owner of an XBox.

I know exactly what you are saying!

[afraid_of_the_dark]

33. I don't see anything wrong with having nice things

As long as you live within your means. I guess the way I think of it is that the fights over money occur primarily when one person is buying "luxury items" that the couple cannot afford. It's so funny, because so much of that could be avoided if the couple just set down some ground rules on spending - and then stuck to it.

[catzies]

39. Here's a short, true story for you.

Once, when picking up my daughter after a weekend with her dad, he said to me, "I don't have any child support money to give you this month."

Then he lifted his shirt sleeve and said, "Check out my new tattoo!"

[redqueen]

9. Yes.

Ask any marriage therapist / divorce lawyer.

[Cannikin]

10. Its easier and less money involved when you're poor...

Rich divorce cases get dragged out and cost LOTS so they just become alcoholics and stay in their loveless marriages....at least thats what Jackie Collins tells me....hehehe

[jbm]

24. I think the financial aspect is true..

and carries over into a lot of areas that are related. When people are struggling to survive and the car breaks down,what would be an inconvenience for the wealthy becomes a catastrophe for the poor. When your life has to many catastrophes it takes a reasonably emotionally mature person to not look for someone else to blame. I would guess the percentages of emotionally mature people are fairly constant across the income levels,but bad times probably hit the poor much more frequently.

[RandomKoolzip]

8. Don't generalize.

I consider myself working class...I'm a cook, and my wife is a temp. We have no plans to get divorced.

[afraid_of_the_dark]

13. Me either...

but you can't deny the trend.

[RandomKoolzip]

17. What trend?

Divorces have been rampant among all classes for a century. Give me some links or some statistics, please.

[JasonDeter]

40. I was refering to bushs* 1.5 billion inititive. Sorry I didn't elaborate.

My point was there are more poor so sure theres going to be a higher divorce rate among the poor. If all the poor were middle class then the divorce rate would be higher among the middle class. The republicans just don't get it. Also this is another attack on welfare for the poor. They just won't admit it.

[Bluerthanblue]

14. silly question

isn't it?

because there are FAR more 'poor' folk than rich ones-!

If the equation is based on 'percentages' i'd sure like to see that backed up by facts- Money doesn't buy marital happiness- How many well known (and paid) actors/resses, athletes, entrepreneurs have married once and stayed married???-
While there are no doubt quite a few, there are also MANY divorces-

The line between rich/poor is a fuzzy one- where do you place it?

[afraid_of_the_dark]

18. Money doesn't buy marital bliss...

But it buys the "I'm sorry I cheated on you... again" jewelry that makes it all better.

[beyurslf]

I don't know why they do...

but your post doesn't provide any evidence that they do.

Do more (as in the number total) poor people get divorced than rich people? Or is it more as in the percentage of the total?

if it is the number, then I would just say there are more marriages between the poor than the rich. As a percentage, I don't know. Could be lots of things. Why do Hollywood stars always get divorced?

[readmylips]

21. Lack of Finances is the main cause why poor...

get divorce but a much higher percentage stay married, family is all they got. Middle class also divorce due to lack of finances, most stay married because divorce will destroy the little nest egg they have saved. The wealthy marry because they have the need to build a dynasty based on wealth and power. They stay married until they meet a wealthier and more powerful person then themselves.

[The_Gopher]

22. divorce is inversely related to income

the lower the income bracket, the higher the rate of divorce. it's the rate you have to look at. sheer numbers can be misleading. so while the greatest number of poor people are actually white, african-americans, latinos, and native americans have higher rates of poverty.

as for why the rate is higher for poor people, the two largest factors are money problems and use of the no-fault divorce clause. if you don't have a lot of money, you're not going to be able to pay for a lawyer to have a long, drawn-out divorce case, so you're more likely to resort to the no-fault clause.

[Demeter]

26. The People who get divorced are

Addicts, abusers, users, mentally ill, psychopaths, and the hopelessly clueless

NOt much left after that.

[RandomKoolzip]

27. Ok, someone tell me WHY people post drive-by flamebait

which perpetuates myths about class with no facts nor stats to back up their comments?

Paging Jason Deter! Please clean up your mess.

[Kanary]

31. True, but look at all the misunderstanding under the surface here

Yup, it was probably flamebait.... I agree.

But, look at what was brought up to the surface. There is sooo much misunderstanding in the "middleclass" so I'm not sure it was all that bad that it came out. What is needed is some education now, and some open-minded willingness to understand. Thank that'll happen?

Kanary

[afraid_of_the_dark]

34. Regardless of how this thread started...

I think we've managed to have a fairly civil discussion. :)

[JasonDeter]

38. If you can't answer the question why don't you just ignore it? LOL!!

So easily offended we are? Its ok to NOT know the answer. So keep moving theres nothing here.

[morgan2]

30. if i recall

there was some stat a few years back that showed the most common reason for divorce was arguments over money. That would explain why poorer people get divorced more often.

[bitchkitty]

35. Because having to live

from paycheck to paycheck, getting nickled and dimed to death along the way, and constantly worrying about money, is a wretched existence, and most people just can't cope with it alone, much less with a partner.

[JasonDeter]

37. If more people were rich the republicans like bush* would be confused

More poor people get divorced because there are more poor people. If there were just middle class and rich then more middle class would be getting divorced. Its an insult to equate the high rate of divorce with poor people like the poor have some kind of moral deficiency. Another little bit of proof that stupid* moron* morally bankrupt bush* has no clue.

[fob]

42. You first. Did you mean "..divorced MORE than any other"?

And "...any other WHAT"?

Please also define;
POOR
WHAT(as in "...any other WHAT")
How you count divorces(if you divorce and remarry the same person and divorce is that 2 or 1?)
MARRIAGE(is common law marriage a MARRIAGE)
DIVORCE(Is splitting up from a CLM a DIVORCE)


Quantify(with a verifiable source);
Number of POOR married couples
Number of WHAT married couples

[JasonDeter]

45. Again I must apologize. This was in response to bushs* 1.5 billion

help the poor stay married inititive comming. And I just thought it offensive that the republicans pick on the poor for high divorce rate when in fact the only reason that would be the case is theres more poor.

[no_hypocrisy]

44. Divorce is an expensive endeavor. Besides the lawyer, the spouse's

lawyer, court fees, and expert witnesses if there's a controversy regarding finances and/or children, you are indebted to support the spouse temporarily if s/he can return to work or permanently if s/he is too mature to expect much of a career and your children until they have attained a college education. If you own property and a house, you are evicted (men usually) and can't tap into the equity until the children reach maturity. And if you don't have the money to keep up with child support, you risk arrest, conviction, and imprisonment as a deadbeat father.

It's cheaper to stay married unless your sanity is an issue.

[QC]

46. I still haven't figured out what the subject line is supposed to mean.

But if it is that poor people are more likely to divorce, and I have seen stats that say so, then the explanation is pretty easy.

Only a person who has laid awake nights worrying about how on earth to pay this month's rent, or sat around in a dark apartment because he or she could not pay the power bill, or who has just had to live with a chronic illness because going to the doctor is too expensive, can really appreciate what an incredible, nonstop stress it is to be poor. And it's not hard to see how that kind of stress could wreck a marriage.