With the unemployment rate rising from 9.6 percent to 9.8 percent, over 15 million people out of work, and over 6 million out of work for a long term, the nation is faced with the reality that college graduates or higher earn far more than others, and have a very low unemployment rate in this horrible economy!
At the same time, African Americans and Hispanics, and those with less than a high school diploma, or even those who finish high school but achieve no higher level of education, are faced with an extremely high unemployment rate and little hope of a real employment opportunity anytime soon!
In the midst of this crisis, we are finding a larger number of high school students no longer aspire to college education, and that this is particularly noticeable among males, who now comprise far less than a majority of college level students!
Women are becoming more educated, and gaining better pay than in the past, and have a lower unemployment rate than men, and this is also adding up to fewer marriages, with women no longer feeling the need to marry because they can support themselves, and less resistance to the idea of having children out of wedlock!
As Time Magazine stated in a recent issue, women don’t need to marry for money, and neither men nor women need to marry for sexual relations, so marriage is a declining institution, as well as the goal of many young people, and particularly males, to gain a college education, which would improve their chances of keeping a job and avoiding unemployment!
This is a social problem that plagues America and will adversely affect its long range future, unless we can convince young people of the importance of education in their lives!