How do poverty and social class shape family stability and mobility?

• A. Poverty reduces divorce risk.
• B. Economic strain increases divorce risk and reduces resources for children.
• C. Social class has no effect on access to education, healthcare, and stability.
• D. Mobility is unaffected by economic resources.

Answer: (B)

Poverty and social class shape family stability and mobility through how economic resources—or the lack of them—generate stress, influence parenting, and open or close opportunities for children.

When a family faces economic strain, parental stress tends to rise, money becomes a dominant source of conflict, and long work hours or job insecurity can reduce the time and emotional capacity for supportive parenting. This combination often heightens the risk of family dissolution and weakens the day-to-day resources families rely on, such as stable housing, nutritious food, and time for children’s education and activities. In other words, economic hardship makes stability harder to sustain and directly limits the resources children need to thrive.

Mobility—the ability for children to move to a higher socio-economic position—depends a lot on access to quality education, healthcare, safe neighborhoods, and social networks. These are heavily shaped by family resources and community context. When resources are scarce, children's educational opportunities and overall development are constrained, which narrows chances for upward mobility. Conversely, greater economic resources can buffer stress, support stable family environments, and provide opportunities that pave the way for better outcomes.

The other options don’t fit because poverty is generally linked to higher, not lower, divorce risk; social class clearly affects access to education, healthcare, and stability; and economic resources do influence, not leave untouched, mobility opportunities.