While the divorce rate within the first 10 years of marriage for college educated women dropped from 29 percent in the mid-1970’s to 16.5 percent, the rate for unmarried women witnessed a rise from 36 percent to a staggering 46 percent. In an article in The Economist, this gap said to be the root cause of America’s widening inequality.

Citing that middle class children are “socialized for success,” the article claims that these products of higher-income, dual parent families (including step-parents) go on to find future success while the offspring of poor mothers face unpromising futures.

Marriage offers certain financial benefits as tax breaks and dual incomes, but does it also ensure a better future for your children?