Why Marriage Matters: 26 Conclusions from the Social Sciences - Part 2 

familyscholars.org

Does it matter if couples get and stay married? In Why Marriage Matters, a diverse group of leading family scholars summarizes the findings on the difference that marriage makes. This is part 2.

Physical Health and Longevity Matters

 14. Children who live with their own two married parents enjoy better physical health than do children in other family forms.

 15. Parental marriage is associated with a sharply lower risk of infant mortality.

 16. Marriage is associated with reduced rates of drug and alcohol use for both adults and teens.

 17. People, especially married men, have longer life expectancies than do otherwise similar singles.

 18. Marriage is associated with better health and lower rates of injury, illness, and disability for both men and women.

 19. Marriage seems to be associated with better health among minorities and the poor.

Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being Matters

 20. Children whose parents divorce have higher rates of psychological problems like depression and other mental illnesses.

 21. Divorce is linked to higher suicide rates.

 22. Married mothers have lower rates of depression than do single or cohabiting mothers.

Crime and Domestic Violence Matters

 23. Boys raised in single-parent families are more likely to engage in delinquent and criminal behavior.

 24. Married men and women are significantly less likely to be the perpetrators or victims of crime.

 25. Married women appear to have a lower risk of experiencing domestic violence than do cohabiting or dating women.

 26. A child who is not living with his or her own two married parents is at significantly greater risk for child abuse.

This summary is adapted from Why Marriage Matters: Twenty-Six Conclusions from the Social Sciences, 2nd edition, a publication of the Center for Marriage and Families at the Institute for American Values. The Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that brings together approximately 100 leading scholars-from across the human sciences and across the political spectrum-for interdisciplinary deliberation, collaborative research, and joint public statements on the challenges facing families and civil society. To obtain the original edition of Why Marriage Matters visit www.familyscholars.org.

PDF file of 26 Conclusions 

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God bless your family and your marriage.

Jim Stephens