MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

Marriages Effect on Poverty Annotated Bibliography

Briana A. Senior
James Madison University

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

Introduction:
The extent to which marriage reduces poverty is a concept that continues to perplex the
minds of society, married couples, and individuals who have found themselves sunken into a
state of financial deprivation. Even as a first-year female college student, marriage and its affect
on poverty is something that withholds significance to me due to its prevalence in todays current
issues. I tend to find the topic making its way into some of my class discussions, building upon
issues such as financial instability and ways that a double source of income can potentially
resolve the problem. In my research on this topic, I have identified ways that married couples can
establish a more solidified financial platform while simultaneously increasing their childrens
chances of being financially intact. This research is important to all who care about the
controversial relationship between marriage and poverty, and how this relationship affects the
economy and the people it directly involves.

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

Baker, R. (n.d.). The changing association among marriage, work, and child poverty in the
United States. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(5), 1166-1178.
The author of this article, Regina S. Baker, examines theories about how working and
marriage are both associated with poverty. She also conveys its effects on the possibility of
decreased child poverty rates. Her research primarily focuses on marriage increasing the number
of providers within a household, thus making income rise substantially. Baker also discusses the
benefits of married couples sharing expenses and having flexibility to afford a higher standard of
living. A doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology at Duke University, Baker expresses
expertise in social inequality, marriage, and poverty matters. She also emphasizes the major
transformations in history, primarily addressing income reform and improvements in salary
among women to contribute to their families. The author also contends that there are obvious
differences between marriages effecting child poverty, as opposed to work effecting child
poverty.
The article is intended towards both genders of all ages that may either be married or are
considering marriage. It is also geared towards individuals who might be concerned with the issue
and have theorized how much of a difference having a double source of income versus a single
provider for a family actually makes. The information does not have the presence of a strong bias,
and instead relies on charts, graphs, and other statistics to persuade the audience. The author also
presents her own ideas, since the other half of the report is her analytic strategy. As another way to
indicate her interest and knowledge in this topic, Baker states that although a married couple
with children was once the norm, non-marital births and single-parent households have become
commonplace (para 2). This article was published in a scholarly journal in early 2015, as the
facts presented surround a relevant issue to the world.

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

This article proves to be beneficial to my research because it provides an unbiased

position on the topic while exploring further into how income defines poverty, and ways that
people strategize to avoid slipping below the poverty line. I can also use this as a source of
information since it covers various angles of the issue, and provides statistics and experimental
charts to support claims made toward the correlations between marriage and poverty. This source
proposes a well-analyzed report on the topic and allows me to have quality information to use
within my research.

DiMaggio, A. (2012). Welfare helps reduce poverty. In M. Haerens (Ed.), Opposing Viewpoints.
Welfare. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.
In this article, written by Anthony DiMaggio, the author and editor of Media-ocracy, he
proposes the idea that racism and unemployment are the two main obstacles faced by Americans
who currently live in poverty (para. 2). He also shifts his argument towards focusing on the
percentages of children who live in poverty in the most recent years to balance out the other ideas
proposed about the issue as a whole. The author also describes the evolution of poverty itself, and
the reality that over half of the disadvantaged community earns below 50 percent of the poverty
line (DiMaggio para. 4). In order to validate this claim, DiMaggio emphasizes that childhood
poverty has increasingly grown more likely to be carried into adult life due to its prominence and
hindering on a childs proper development. He also attempts to draw attention to this problem
with the use of satirical language by pointing out the flaws of the media and the content that it
chooses to publish. The author argues, respectively, that this generations media culture favors
the instant gratification of daily updates on Lindsay Lohan's drug abuse over detailed coverage of
national poverty (DiMaggio para. 7). Overall, DiMaggio attempts to raise awareness about the

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

realties of poverty, while identifying ways in which societys surroundings have gradually
changed the face of financial deprivation and child poverty rates.
This article is directed towards individuals who are curious about the way in which the
media determines what it should broadcast across the nation. It is also geared towards those who
believe that the concern childhood poverty should be more widespread, as well as individuals who
may be concerned with living in a state of poverty in the future. However, there is a slight bias
presented in the article, simply because DiMaggio seems to recognize child poverty as one of the
only problems within the realm of welfare disparities. The author also properly cited the other
experts in the field of social welfare reform and the information was collected recently. He also
supports the final thoughts of the piece by providing opposing viewpoints and sound opinions to
further develop the argument.
This piece is useful to my research about marriages effect on poverty because it includes
a wider range of viewpoints about the issue itself. It provides a more varied perspective on
whether or not a child will later financially struggle based upon growing up in a household with
either married parents or a single provider. Respectively, this article is a more realistic
representation of the underlying impacts associated with marriage and its everlasting effect on
poverty rates. After reading it, I feel a greater understanding of the challenges that face
underprivileged children or disadvantaged homes and ways that societal portrayal of these issues
can affect those involved.
Down...But not out! A look at situational poverty [Video file]. (2007). In Films On Demand.
Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?
aid=9942&xtid=39693

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

This documentary, constructed by the Films on Demand Company, takes a closer look at
situational poverty and ways that it appears to be invisible to outside observers. For example,
the most visible form of the poor community is the homeless among the hidden individuals in
poverty such as the working poor or debt-ridden middle class (DownBut not out! 2007). This
video also emphasizes the vulnerability of anyone in the working class, married or a single parent,
who faces the possibility of unemployment. It discusses various families situations, such as a
forklift operator who lost his job and was forced to work a part-time job that was not enough to
provide for his wife and children. The inability to gain government support is also what sends
many families to spiral below the poverty line. However, the documentary later highlights the
idea that matrimonial status has an effect on poverty and that it often times requires a married
couple to establish stable financial grounds.
This video is intended for those who may often misperceive an individuals economic
situations just because of the way they appear. The content also remains unbiased, as it
successfully identifies both ends of the economic spectrum. It recognizes a truly poor community,
as well as conveying the various possibilities that can potentially send a functioning family below
the poverty line. This film also commends the efforts made to provide relief for members of the
community that find themselves in a state of situational poverty. It also allows room for families
to tell their own stories about how they became financially deprived, instead of providing
statistics and graphics that speak falsely for them.
This documentarys view on situational poverty is a valuable asset to my research
because it does not present a bias on the matter. The voices of the different families presented in
the film also provide an inside view on the subject, which establishes credibility for the filmmaker

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

by not adding in pieces of false or altered information. It also seeks insight from both ends of the
economy and supports claims that argue whether or not marital status can affect poverty levels.

Edelman, P. (2012). Why Are We Stuck? In So rich, so poor. New York, New York: The New
Press.
In his nonfictional book, So Rich, So Poor, Peter Edelman discusses the realities of
poverty and inequality in America and why the nation often finds themselves stuck or unable to
resolve it. He highlights the state of inequality that the United States is in, and hones in on the
income disparities that have presented themselves, starting from the Great Depression. Edelman
also recognizes the ways in which society is separated based upon socioeconomic status, as the
countrys wealth is often placed into the hands of the financially advanced elite class. He mainly
emphasizes that in low-income families, whether with married parents or a single parent, jobs that
are part-time or have low wages cannot bring them above the poverty line. Likewise, the author
also recognizes that a married couple is able to cope with the plethora of low-wage jobs by
sending a second adult (Edelman 30).
This book is directed towards individuals in America that either live in poverty or are
unaware of the weight it carries in todays society. It is also intended for those who are currently
working part-time or low paid jobs and find themselves struggling to support their family or
spouse. Edelman also provides organized research, while supporting his argument with critical
statistics and legitimate percentage rates. There is also some bias throughout the book, as the
author identifies the poverty rates between the white race and other races. Although this bias is
not formulated upon his own opinions, he is recognizing that race can certainly have an impact on
this income gap by statins that many of the remedies for poverty are race- and gender-neutral

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

and would benefit whites more than any other group (Edelman 30). The book was also published
three years ago, indicating that the information provided is recently collected and accurate.
The book provides a balance between biased and factual viewpoints, which proves to be
beneficial in further developing his argument. The inclusion of racial bias and individuals from
both ends of the economic spectrum also helped me throughout the research process. After
reflecting on certain passages of the book, I am able to gain a more broadened and strong
understanding of the realities specific to income gaps among different communities.

Vang, P., & Bogenschutz, M. (2014). Teenage marriage, and the socioeconomic status of hmong
women. International Migration, 52(3), 144-159. doi:10.1111/j.1468In this article, Pa Der Vang and Matthew Bogenschutz develop a strong argument about
the socioeconomic status of individuals who are of the Hmong culture, which is an AsianAmerican population, originating in China. As a common culture practice among these women, it
is acceptable to marry within their teenage years, as early as thirteen years old. Without having the
chance to establish a stable life before getting married, the Hmong women find themselves
dropping out of high school or living in poverty as a result of being overwhelmed. Overall, this
piece aims to analyze the truths behind economic deprivation among these young women, with
the socioeconomic status in the family of origin as the primary reason.
The piece is intended for those who are unaware of the traditional practices within this
culture and wish to compare their income disparities to that of American women. Vang and
Bogenschutz also effectively balance out the information between Hmong and American women
to identify ways that these cultural differences have an impact on financial stability. It could be
considered that the author have included slight bias by only revolving this article around women

MARRIAGES EFFECT ON POVERTY

of a different culture, but are simply contrasting between how the different backgrounds play a
role in in whether these married or single women can fall below the poverty line. The authors also
examine the different factors that contribute to such income disparity such as the fact that early
marriage is condoned by the Hmong culture and seen as an appropriate stage of development
(Vang & Bogenschutz 149).
The article provides a strong view on the role of Hmong women in their marriages and
the ways that this early step into adulthood can distract them from being financially stable. By
analyzing data and inserting information about how marriage affects poverty from an international
standpoint, I am able to gather more specific ideas to help shape my future research. Although
Vang and Bogenschutz do not insert their personal opinions into this piece, their ability to back up
their research using their knowledge of the subject is what serves as model of how I can work
with my own research and information.

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