> About a third of the growth in income inequality since the 1970s can be attributed to the retreat from marriage, says Wilcox. One-third of the decline in men’s labor force participation over the same period can also be attributed to the decline. “We’d see median household incomes about 40% higher if we had marriage rates at the 1980 levels,
Or, we'd see marriage rates at 1980 levels if we had median household incomes 40% higher.