IS MARRIAGE A WAY OUT OF POVERTY
Yes, in a way you could say marriage is a way out of poverty.
Where poverty is acute, giving a daughter in marriage allows parents to reduce their expenses. One less person to feed, clothe and educate. In communities where economic transactions are integral to the marriage process, a dowry or ‘bride price’ is often welcome income for poor families. Coming together and having two incomes. And of course, marrying out of your class.
Been exposed to fairy tales where Cinderella marries Prince Charming and Aladdin weds Princess Jasmine has shaped our mindset. But what happens in real life? Marrying out of your class most times does not end in happily ever after. Imagine finding yourself in a situationship where you meet a rich dude and you have to constantly live up to his social standards. To him, it is a way of life but your carefree life has just been put to an end.
Little things that you feel do not matter is now a big issue. To you a spoon is a spoon but to his family, it is a taboo to use a dessert spoon to drink soup. You start to feel constantly on edge around his family. Your mannerism and identity has to change in order to be accepted. You become a shadow of your self and end up unhappy just because you want to climb up the social ladder.
For years, the slogan ‘Stay in School’ has communicated an anti-poverty message to young people. Now it’s time for an even more important poverty-fighting theme. ‘Get Married.’ An era when two incomes are increasingly necessary to raise a family, getting married makes excellent economic sense. More income means less poverty . This isn’t the result of the magic of marriage but the magic of addition.
The advantage is marriage is plainly not just the addition of two incomes. When disaster strikes, as it always will, and you are alone, it really is a disaster. With two people, you can divide the load. This makes a huge difference. Unfortunately for many families with just one earner, one salary is rarely enough to support a household these days, unless that person is quite successful.
Do you know poverty also pushes couples apart? If poverty pushes couples apart can we then say Marriage is not a way out of poverty but getting an education is, earning an income is, being financially literate is.
I will really love you to share your views about marriage being a way out of poverty. Does it matter in the grand scheme of things?
