Marriage Facts

•  WHY MARRIAGE MATTERS!  Marriage does matter. After all, we’re all in this together. As members of society, we count on each other every day to keep our commitments. We feel more secure when we can depend on others. Although marriage has changed a great deal (see A Snapshot of Marriage in the U.S.), the benefits of marriage endure. Social science research confirms that marriage is an important social good that brings a wide range of positive outcomes for adults and children alike. Benefits of marriage:
  -On average, married people are better off financially.
  - Marriage is associated with better health, sex and safety for men and women.
  - Children do better when they live with their own two married parents.
  
  Reference: Marriage Resource Center
• Couples who cohabit have a 46% greater risk of divorce than couples who do not live together before marriage (Marriage and the Family in the United States: Resources for Society, 10).  Those who cohabit without a prior commitment to marriage are especially at risk if they eventually decide to marry. (see Dr. Scott Stanley, “Sliding vs Deciding” blog)
• Statistics show that, due to the lack of stability and support in the home, children from divorced parents experience significant decrease in academic success, physical health, and future stability in their own relationships. (Marriage and the Family in the United States: Resources for Society and Why Marriage Matters)
• Both men and women have higher life expectancies when married than those who are single or divorced. (Why Marriage Matters, 30)
• Current estimates suggest that 40-50% of recent marriages will end in separation, prior the death of either spouse.  These figures can be dramatically decreased by a number of different factors.  In other words, “if you are a reasonably well-educated person with a decent income, come from an intact family and are religious, and marry after the age of 25 without having a baby first, your chances of divorce are very low indeed.” (The State of Our Unions 2011, 69, 73)
• People are getting married later in life.  The median age of those married for the first time is currently 28.3 for men and 25.8 for women (National Health Statistics Report, 2012).  Compare this to the numbers from 1960, when the median age was 23 for men and 20 for women (The State of Our Unions 1999, 10).
• The rate of satisfaction in marriage is higher for husbands and wives when both regularly maintain religious attendance and feel that God is the center of their marriage. (The State of Our Unions 2011, 31, 33)
• Marriage Fact: Approximately two-thirds of first marriages lasted 10 years or more, whereas the remaining one-third ended in divorce or separation before reaching the 10th anniversary.