Love & Marriage & Economics [INFOGRAPHIC]

The More You Know

Love & Marriage & Economics [INFOGRAPHIC]

10:45 am, January 30th | by Colette McIntyre

During the second presidential debate, Republican candidate Mitt Romney made some controversial claims about single parent households: when asked about gun control, Romney suggested in a roundabout way that one cause of mass gun violence might be single parents. “To tell our kids that before they have babies, they ought to think about getting married to someone,” he said. “That’s a great idea because if there’s a two-parent family, the prospect of living in poverty goes down dramatically.”

While Romney’s comments sparked outrage, many continue to view single parent households as a cause of poverty and violence. This infographic from PayDayLoan explores the economics of marriage and divorce and the findings are disheartening: almost 60 percent of births outside of marriage are to women who have a high school-education or less; children of single parents are more likely to become teenage parents and drop out of school. To add injury to insult (literally), a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology concluded that marriage reduces the risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attack in both men and women, regardless of age. So being single destroys the lives of those you love and kills you slowly? Ugh, I need a drink — and an OkCupid account. In the meantime, check out the infographic below and let us know what you think.