How Will Marriage Impact Beyonce's Career?

Beyonce reportedly "flashed a whopping hunk of a diamond" at her (unconfirmed) husband's concert on April 8. But now that she is, allegedly, married to Jay-Z, is her career doomed to sink like a stone?

That's the question music industry bible Billboard posed this week, and they offered two other recent musical marriages as reason for concern: Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, as well as Nas and Kelis. Since both couples exchanged the words “I do,” more music fans have been saying "We don't." As of late all four artists have experienced a decline in album sales. For example, pre-wedding J. Lo sold an average of 2.7 million copies. Her most recent effort moved 154,000. (At least her family snapshots are worth more now that she's married: The first photos of her twins fetched a reported $6 million.)

“For rich or for poor” is a vow many couples exchange, but can getting married actually hurt your career? Or do most couples have an advantage over their single work colleagues? The answer is a little of both. “Marriage works as a two-edge sword,” says Stephen Sweet, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Ithaca College. On the plus side, there is often much stability to gain from tying the knot. “Married people are better off than single people based on economic status, social status, and happiness," says Sweet. "The economic gains of marriage can come from aligning yourself with another individual and increasing social capital."

However, marriage vows' economic impact does differ by gender. “Married men make more than their single counterparts,” says Adam Thomas, a research director of the Brookings Project on Responsible Parenthood and Unplanned Pregnancy. At the same time, experts say, a women’s income may decline after marriage, because wives sometimes reduce the amount of hours they work and this could shrink their income.