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Benefits
of Marriage
by Gloria Liven
"Marriage
may provide individuals with a sense of meaning in their lives,"
Dr. Waite said, "and a sense of obligation to others, inhibiting
risky behaviors and encouraging healthy ones."
Research has found that there are numerous benefits to being married, compared with either singles or cohabiting couples. Why do cohabiting couples not show all the same benefits as married ones? Some researchers have speculated on causes, read here.
Dr. Waite of the University of Chicago has been doing research on marriage and its side-effects, which seem to include:
Longer Lifespan & Better Health
Married men and women both live longer.
"For both men and women, there were large, consistent effects after
taking into account all the other characteristics of the individual,"
says Waite.
Higher Income
Married
couples tend to pool their income together, saving for the future. As
a result, married couples have better finances together than either cohabiting
couples or singles.
More Satisfying
Sex
Married Men have twice as much sex as single men, and report
that they have better sex lives than either single or cohabiting men.
Married women have higher levels of sexual satisfaction than cohabiting
or single women, too. It's thought that the commitment and security that
marriage offers makes sex more intimate and enjoyable.
Married Men
and Women are Happier
Despite
the modern view that marriage is bad or oppressive for women, research
shows married women are actually happier than single women. It's true
for men too; "What is really interesting is they found no differences
between men and women on any of the measures," says Waite.
Lower Rates
of Alcohol or Drug Use
Men
that are married have lower rates of alcohol or drug use than single or
divorced men, but women didn't have the same benefit.
Lower Risk
of Violence
Married men are less likely to be violent to their partner. Interestingly,
in a marriage where violence does occur, both the man and the woman are
equally likely to be violent person. "Women are as likely to initiate
violence as men are," says Waite.
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