Low-income couples, predictably, have fewer resources to deal with life's ups and downs. They are more likely to lose their job, suffer a sudden health or family crisis, be evicted from or burned out of their house, be a victim of a violent crime, etc. As a result, they have a more challenging time forming and maintaining marriages than middle-class people. Low-income couples, except African-Americans, are not less likely to marry, but they are more likely to divorce once they do. What is it about low-income families' low-income situation that prevents them from forming stable marriages if they share the same commitment to marriage as better-off couples? One cause could be a mismatch between the vast number of stressful events they face and the limited resources they have to deal with them. The imbalance puts more pressure on the persons in a dyad, leaving them with less time together and less time to devote to relationship formation than a middle-class couple might.

Furthermore, the challenges faced by low-income couples may be more severe than those faced by better-off couples, including substance misuse, job loss, eviction, recurrent adultery, a kid with a chronic disease like asthma or developmental delays, and criminal activities. Because the problems that low-income couples face are likely to be more severe and long-lasting than those that middle-class couples face, it's unclear whether the problem-solving and communication and interpersonal skills taught in marital education programs will be as practical for low-income couples as they appear to be for middle-class couples (where the evidence base is still evolving). The skill sets taught in those programs, and the therapists' and counselors' methodologies for resolving the issues that couples face will need to be adjusted. Furthermore, such circumstances likely exceed people's ability to employ their taught skills. Such problems have caused two types of responses: first, efforts to tailor marital education programs to serve the needs of reduced families best; and second, suggestions to integrate marital education with strategies that directly address poverty-related stress factors on family life, such as job placement assistance, income supplements to compensate for low wages, child care assistance, and medical coverage. It's no surprise that your financial connection influences your chances of divorce.

According to a SunTrust Bank survey of over 2,000 adults, money is the most significant source of stress in relationships. According to the study, 35 percent of participants said their partner's top source of conflict is money. The most likely to create long-term committed partnerships were those with the best credit scores. And according to the study, the better your financial situation and credit score are when you start a committed relationship, the less likely you are to break up after the first few years.

Even though it seems evident that disagreements over money can lead to marital trouble and a communication breakdown, the tale is not so straightforward; people don't get separated just because they don't have enough money. Empty wallets certainly contribute to the burden of raising a family, which can lead to low-income families breaking up and behaviors (such as criminal activities or addiction) that further sever connections. But there's a catch: many impoverished individuals can't afford to divorce or believe they can't afford to split. 

Marriage and divorce are thorny issues. It's impossible to identify which socioeconomic group divorces more frequently. Still, we can conclude that married couples are more financially stable and that divorce (in general) results in a loss of wealth. According to the data, persons who marry and stay married are the most financially secure.