The Effects of Marriage and Divorce on the Poverty Status of Young Adults

Abstract

The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth database is used to explore the effects of marital decisions on the current poverty status of a sample of young adults who experienced poverty as youth. Logit analysis indicates that marital status is an important determinant of poverty for this sample. The results support three general conclusions: married men and women have a much lower likelihood of being poor in comparison to unmarried men and women; divorce is a significant determinant of poverty for both men and women; and, women are affected much more adversely by divorce or never having been married than are men. (J12, 116, 132)