Marriage promotion program

 

 Should the current administration continue to promote marriage in low-income communities? Why or why not?

 The Bush administration has proposed a program known as the 'marriage promotion program’, and the purpose of this program is to encourage couples to get married and the unmarried parents to marry (Edin & Kefalas, N.D). A point to note is that the current administration should not promote marriage in low-income communities in that the program won’t achieve its intended purpose of alienating poverty.  For example, the unmarried poor women say that their top priority in life is a career and economic stability. They believe that men will only bring authoritarian personalities in marriages. Women will be forced to depend on the men for financial support and in case the marriage ends, women will enter into the financial crisis (Edin & Kefalas, N.D).Thus, women need economic independence before entering into the marriage. Another point is that marriage is not all about financial achievement. Rather, marriage needs commitment. The program focus on promoting two-parent family but a point to note is that promoting marriage will not help the poor families come out of poverty. The programs should go beyond marriage counseling such as the benefits of marriage to address the reason why the working poor are not in marriage. Marriage is important but the top priority should be the job and financial stability (Edin & Kefalas, N.D). Another point is that marriage promotion focus on encouraging engaged couples to marry. However, marriage will not reduce poverty. Marriage is important but the couples need employment, mental health support, and economically self-sufficient. Thus, marriage will intensify poverty. Marriage promoting programs should address the source of poverty. Before funding the families, the policymakers should create surplus income or living-wage employment. The program should funneling money to other services such as affordable housing and employment. In other words, the program should focus on well-being promotion in society. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Edin, K., & Kefalas, M. (N.D). Promises I can keep: Why poor women put motherhood before

marriage. Univ of California Press.