The recession and marriage

Current statistics are reporting that there are more women employed in our country than men. This has been caused by the layoffs and cutbacks in male dominated fields such as banking, manufacturing and construction. Females have traditionally chosen recession proof professions in health care and education. Unfortunately women have continued to earn less and receive fewer benefits. With a reversal of roles in the family a large number of couples are reporting marital stress as they become anxious about their income and retirement benefits. There has also been a 37% decrease in the number of divorces filed due to the financial strain that occurs when a family is divided into two different households.

When you are going through the tough times in life it is important to remember that it's better to have a partner that emotionally supports you. Dr. Noelle Nelson author of Your Man is Wonderful (January 2008) gives helpful suggestions on keeping a positive attitude and avoiding the 'Blame Game'. She states that it is important to face the issue as a team and not adversaries. Couples should focus on the strengths of their partner to explore other possibilities of income. Then set goals to resolve the problems and celebrate your victories together.

As we wait for the economy to stabilize this can be an important time to retrain or return to school. You can contact your social network and let them know you are currently looking for employment to see if they have any leads for you. Use your time well and check on-line employment resources daily while you are job hunting. You can keep your stress under control by exercising daily, eating healthy and sleeping a minimum of seven hours. Discuss with your partner how to equalize household responsibilities and help with the children. If you have a difficult situation that you have not been able to discuss with your partner it might be helpful to seek counseling to relieve those tensions. The loss of employment has created experiences for you that were never planned but realize that the recession will not last forever. Time has a tendency to resolve all concerns.