Marriage

Fact and Fiction

What is Marriage For?
 What is Marriage For?
It is the central institution of the family.
organizes kinship
establishes family identities
regulates sexual behavior
attaches fathers to their offspring
supports childrearing
channels the flow of economic resources
and mutual caregiving between
generations
 What is Marriage For?
It plays an important role in establishing
the social, economic and emotional
bonds between
husband and wife
parents and children
the family and the larger community
 What is Marriage For?
It dictates responsibilities and binding
obligations for its members.

It shapes family identity and creates an

environment that allows intimacy and a
sense of belonging
 What is Marriage For?
It enjoys social approval and public
recognition

It gives positive social status and a new

identity to men and women
 What is Marriage For?
It is good for children

More than any other family

arrangement, marriage reliably
connects
dads with their kids
fathers to the mothers of their children
 Top 10 Myths of
Marriage
1. Benefits men more than women
• men and women benefit equally from marriage
• men gain greater health
• women gain financially
2. Having children increases marital happiness
• first child can drive parents apart
• couples with children have a lower divorce rate
 Top 10 Myths of
Marriage
3. Keys to success - good luck and
romance
• takes more than good luck and love
• takes commitment and companionship
4. More educated women don’t marry
• change from the past
• today, college graduates are more likely
to marry than their non-college peers
 Top 10 Myths of
Marriage
5. Couples who live together before marriage
have better relationships
• they have a far higher chance of breaking up
6. People can’t be expected to stay in a
marriage for a lifetime - we live longer lives
today
• people are marrying later, so the amount of
years married is roughly the same
• half of all divorces take place within the first
seven years of marriage
 Top 10 Myths of
Marriage
7. Marrying puts a woman at greater risk of
domestic violence
• unmarried women (especially those who
cohabit) are at a much higher risk
• Men have more invested in their wive’s
wellbeing than boyfriends
8. Married people have less satisfying sex
• actually, married people have sex more often
• and they find it more satisfying, both physically
and emotionally
 Top 10 Myths of
Marriage
9. Cohabitation is just like marriage, but
“without the piece of paper”
• cohabitation does not bring the benefits of
marriage
• couples are less committed
10. Because of the high divorce rate, people
who stay married have happier marriages
than people did in the past
• significantly more work-related stress
• significantly more marital conflict
 10 Facts About
Marriage
1. Marrying as a teenager is the highest
known factor for divorce.

2. The most likely way to find a future

spouse is through an introduction by
family or friends
 10 Facts About
Marriage
3. The more similar people are in their
values, backgrounds, and life goals,
the more likely they are to have a
successful marriage

4. Women have a significantly higher

chance of marrying if they do not have
a baby out of wedlock
 10 Facts About
Marriage
5. College educated people are more
likely to marry and LESS likely to
divorce than people with lower levels
of education

6. Cohabitation is not useful for having a

better marriage
 10 Facts About
Marriage
7. Marriage helps people have more
money
• married men earn 10 - 40% MORE than
their unmarried counterparts
• men work harder after marriage

8. Married couples have better sex

 10 Facts About
Marriage
9. Children from divorced homes are less
likely to marry and more likely to
divorce

10. For large portions of the American

population, the risk of divorce is far
below 50%
 Declining Marriage
Rates
in America
80
70
60
50 White Males
40 Black Males
White Females
30
Black Females
20
10
0
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
 Percentage of Spouses
Who Said Their
Marriages
68
67 Were “Very Happy”
66
65
64
63 Very Happy
62
61
60
59
58
1973- 1977- 1982- 1987- 1992- 1998
76 81 86 91 96
 Divorce Trends in
America
25

20

15
Divorces
10

0
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1998
 In the West, marriage
is a child-rearing
institution
 It is becoming more important than:
 race
 class
 neighborhood

in determining a child’s future

 Benefits to Children
 Children from intact families are far
LESS likely to
 be poor
 experience economic insecurity
 have behavioral problems
 have school attendance problems
 engage in early sexual activity
 Benefits to Children
 Children from intact families are far MORE
likely to
 stay in school
 attain higher levels of education
 avoid unwed teen parenthood
 have more satisfying dating relationships
 have a more positive attitude towards marriage
 have longer lasting marriages
 Benefits to Adults
 Married people are LESS likely to
 take moral or mortal risks
 attempt or commit suicide
 Benefits to Adults
 Married people are MORE likely to
 have better health habits
 receive more regular health care
 cope well with major life crises
 severe illness
 job loss
 needs of sick children or aging parents
 Benefits to Men
 Better health habits and greater
longevity (longer life)

 Earn more money

 Strengthens the bonds between fathers

and their children
 Benefits to Women
 Financial gain

 Better sex lives

 Makes them happier mothers

 Benefits to Society
 Marriage…
 is a childrearing institution
 produces wealth
 promotes pro-social behavior