The two things may seem unrelated at first. How could inflation have anything to do with marriages? I was interested in finding out since I was a lawyer for the banks during the Recession in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I saw a lot of families lose their homes and the turmoil that it took on them (and me, quite frankly). Based on that, along with a curious mind and seldom used psychology degree that I dust off occasionally, I decided to look into it.
The National Institute of Health did a 1990 study that found that economic strain or hardship increased hostility and decreased warmth and support between married partners, thereby indirectly negatively affecting the perception of the marriage (Conger, et al., 1990). The hostility was more associated with economic strain for husbands than for wives.
Approximately one-third of couples in relationship counseling have reported financial stress as one of their most important issues. Approximately fifteen percent of marital satisfaction is predicted by financial factors, such as financial management quality and financial problems and a partner’s spending behaviors and level of financial stress has a direct impact on their relationship satisfaction . Not surprisingly, individuals reporting higher financial satisfaction have a significantly lower probability of considering divorce, according to the study. So okay, we can probably assume that inflation isn’t helping out on the domestic bliss front in some marriages. But before we jump to conclusions about the grass being greener, let’s look at the alternatives.
The average child care cost in North Carolina in 2024 is $9,350 per child according to World Population Review and the Charlotte Observer reported that the average salaries needed to support a family of four in North Carolina is $209,331 per year. Try to do that in a single income or single parent household but supporting two houses. Also, as much as prices have risen, child support guidelines and child support hasn’t really kept up. Child support starts out at $50.00 a month if a non-custodial parent isn’t really gainfully employed. That wasn’t a typo.
In order to increase child support, motions need to be filed and motions cost money. The circular problem here is obvious. So while the 10 piece McNuggets Happy Meal has went from $5.99 in 2014 to $10.99 (???!!!) in 2024, the world of marital and divorce finance hasn’t kept up. Simple math but how many McNuggets Meals can we buy with $50 worth of child support….yeah, not enough.
Skip ahead to alimony, alimony is based on a number of factors that are too numerous to list here but part of it is that we look to see who is the “dependent spouse”. In marriage, that sometimes goes back and forth. If your spouse is currently unemployed or underemployed, they may be the dependent spouse. That could be the case even if they “used to” have a really great job. There are numerous studies that show that there is up to a 33% higher chance of divorce when a spouse is unemployed. As small businesses have been pushed out of the market by inflation and rising costs, more and more people are finding themselves among the unemployed and working several gig jobs to get by.
So with rising costs, an unsteady economy, and financial factors in flux, there are many considerations for both marriage and divorce. Stay well and love one another.