Colm Fitzpatrick
Unskilled workers are more than three times as likely as professional workers to be divorced or separated, a new survey has revealed.
The report is a follow-up to a paper issued by The Iona Institute in 2016 which showed that marriage rates also differ hugely by occupational status and social class. It found that unskilled workers are only half as likely as professionals to be married.
Combined, the research shows that unskilled workers are far more likely to have suffered a broken marriage and far less likely to be married in the first place compared with upper income workers. The huge discrepancy shows occupational status and social class make a huge difference to whether someone marries and then stays married.
Commenting on the findings, psychiatrist Prof. Patricia Casey said: “The new report shows that economic and cultural factors both appear to have a very strong influence on the likelihood of someone going through a divorce or separation.
“Low income is a very big predictor of whether someone will experience a broken marriage. Conversely, those on high incomes are far less likely to have done so.”
She added that we need to have a “wider debate” about marriage in general and whether State policy can play a role in reducing the marriage gap.