In an opinion piece published in the “New York Times” on January 13, 2021, Thomas B. Edsall explores the various motivations of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol on January 6. Edsall addresses “disgruntlement in many members of Trump’s white working-class base is their inability to obtain a college education, a limitation that blocks access to higher paying jobs and lowers their supposed “value” in marriage markets.” He proceeds to reference the research done by Christine Schwartz, Professor of Sociology at University of Wisconsin-Madison and Rob Mare, Professor of Sociology at University of California – Los Angeles, that found a decline in odds of marriage between high school dropouts and those with more education since the 1970’s. This has contributed to increased economic inequality in the United States. Read more……
