What are the two most important issues facing marriage in the US today?
The first issue is that marriage in the US is not universally accessible. Fewer than half of people with incomes near or below the poverty line are married while more than 80 percent of those with annual incomes of more than $75,000 are married. Research has shown that poor couples are unmarried not because they value marriage any less, but rather because they value marriage too highly. Couples think that before marrying, they need to be economically stable, have a house and pay for a big wedding with a fancy reception. So, because some of the poor may never attain the economic resources needed to do these things, couples simply live together unmarried. Another group that does not have universal access to marriage is gay and lesbian couples. The fact that the use of the term “marriage” for gay and lesbian couples’ committed relationships has stirred such a contentious fight in the US, and that gay and lesbian couples continue to denounce other terms like “civil union” and seek the actu
