The Gist

Graduate, Work, Marry, Procreate

Follow these steps in exactly this order, and economists say you’ve found the way out of poverty. Is it that easy?

Is marriage essential to floating up and away into the middle class?

Photo Courtesy Burrell (Smithsonian Institution)/Flickr

Listen to Episode 340 of Slate’s The Gist:

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How essential is marriage for aspiring middle-class families? On The Gist, economist and Brookings fellow Isabel Sawhill explains her often-cited “success sequence” and declining marriage rates in the developed world. She’s the author of Generation Unbound. For the Spiel, why Dr. Ben Carson currently has no plans for the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

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