In a recent Journal of Economic History piece, Matthew Hill studies the effect of economic conditions on marriage during the Great Depression. In the short-run, marriage was delayed. However, in the long-run, marriages formed during the tough times of the Great Depression were more stable. Here is the abstract to his paper:
I examine the impact of the Great Depression on marriage outcomes and find that marriage rates and local economic conditions are positively correlated. Specifically, poor labor market opportunities for men negatively impact marriage. Conversely, there is some evidence that poor female labor markets actually increase marriage in the period. While the Great Depression did lower marriage rates, the effect was not long lasting: marriages were delayed, not denied. The primary long-run effect of the downturn on marriage was stability: Marriages formed in tough economic times were more likely to survive compared to matches made in more prosperous time periods.