SOC 101-NO2

2) Financial status has a big impact on marital stability. As you book mentions, it is much more likely for a low income couple to get a divorce than a high income couple. This is due to many factors, however, it is usually caused by stressed, which then leads to arguing. Whenever a couple is often stressed about money and bills, they argue and fight more, which causes less communication and intimacy in the relationship. The constant stress and lack of intimacy often leads to each person no longer feeling attached or connected to their partner, which leads to a divorce. Other factors that are associated with a couple's financial status include whether or not the married couple decides to have children. Raising one child is very expensive, let alone raising two or more. It is very important that a couple earns enough money to have a child before they actually have the child. This would help lower the huge amount of stress that comes with having children. I have never experienced social mobility due to marriage or divorce first hand, mainly because I have never been married. However, I have seen many low income relationships result in a breakup or a divorce, due to how much financial stress affects their relationship. I have also seen that many couples who are financially stable seem to be overall happier not only in their relationship, but within their selves as a person; they seem overall happier with their life. This is not to say that every low income relationship is destined to fail, or that being financially stable makes every relationship last. There are exceptions with everything, and I believe that it all comes down to how well a couple is able to communicate with each other and remain in love during stressful and difficult times.

3) Financial status can impact marital stability to an extent, personally I think that depending on the life that the couple wants to live will depend on how much stress is put on the financial situation, which then puts stress on the marriage. If the couple wants a high class life style and only makes the minim to make bills, and little things then more stress will be added to the marriage. Where as if a couple is happy with the basic needs in life then there will not be financial stress added to the relationship. Personally I have felt how much it can impact a relationship, with job changes and certain circumstances that have came up which naturally puts more stress in a relationship, however I don't let it affects my relationship. I am the one who pays all the bills, and I am more of a saver, where as my husband is more of a spender and my mother always told me that there will always be a "saver and a spender" in a relationship. I think other factors that are associated with a couple's financial statue, would be any major changes in a couples normal habits. One example I can think of is a couple has an unexpected pregnancy, if they are used to spending a lot and it just being the two of them it will be hard to adjust to saving and preparing for the baby. Then a time when I witnessed social mobility due to a marriage or divorce, is when my brother who was married to his wife and has two children with her over 15 years they were together. Then he found out she had been cheating on him, they then went through a divorce and a custody battle, he ended up getting fired from his job that he has been working at for 30 plus years, for unrelated events (bad timing), and ended up having to move in with my parents and with his children. So he went from living in a good upper-middle class lifestyle to trying to get back on his feet and make bills meet, until he was able to get back that life style.