I am a millennial. And I believe in the benefits of marriage.
I believe in marriage so much I have been married seven and a half years and I’m not even 28 years old yet.
With high divorce rates, high cohabitation rates, low marriage rates, and a redefining of marriage legally, it begs the question of why bother trying to do this monogamous traditional marriage thing?
I mean, marriage is just a piece of paper, a legal formality, an outdated establishment, right?
Or is it?
There are a host of reasons why divorce happens and marriages crumble. I have seen several of my own siblings’ marriages fall apart for various reasons. I have seen friends’ marriage end for other reasons. It’s sad. It’s hard. It’s disappointing and heartbreaking.
It brings these emotions because we crave love and companionship and security now and as 90 year-olds! We want the picture-perfect marriages of our grandparents, books, and movies.
Because marriage has some serious kick butt benefits that we want to reap.
The Amazing Benefits of Marriage
According to FamilyFacts.org, there are at least nine amazing benefits of marriage, some of them are emotional, social, legal, financial, and health benefits of marriage. All of them are proven by studies and research.
Health Benefits of Marriage
There are 4 proven ways marriage can improve your health. Let’s look at all of them.
1.) Married couples report greater sexual satisfaction.
Shocker, right? But, when you are sharing the most intimate part of yourself, having your partner be someone who loves you completely, who you are in a committed, monogamous relationship with, builds connection, trust, security, love, and never any regret.
Plus you get to know each other and your sexual needs more as you have years to master pleasuring only each other throughout your marriage.
2.) Married women report higher levels of physical and psychological health.
As much as your husband can drive you bonkers, apparently it still brings you far less stress than if you were flying solo. Less job stress, environment stress, child stress, financial stress, and relationship stress.
When you are married you always have someone there to support you during all the ups and downs of life.
3.) Married people tend to experience less depression and fewer problems with alcohol.
Men are less depressed (probably because of #1 above), and women are less dependent on booze (probably because of #2 above!).
4.) Marriage is associated with a lower mortality risk.
If you can stay married, you have great odds of living longer, especially if you are male, because married couples aren’t as prone to risk-taking as single people.
Plus, you have someone there to remind you to not be so lazy and get up and get a little exercise or eat a little healthier.
4 Proven Social Benefits of Marriage
5.) Married people are more likely to volunteer.
Apparently, marriage helps bring out the best in you, and you are more likely to look for ways to pay it forward. Marriage is therefore good for society!
6.) Getting married increases the probability of moving out of a poor neighborhood.
Alarmingly, the dissolution of a marriage more than doubled the probability that a person will do the opposite, especially among blacks.
7.) Marriage benefits children.
When children are in the picture, children experience a ton of benefits. Some of the most common ways children benefit from marriage are:
- Less likely to be poor or experience persistent economic insecurity
- Less likely to experience serious emotional illness, depression, and suicide
- More likely to stay in school, earn a four-year degree, and have positive attitudes towards marriage
- Have greater success in forming lasting marriages themselves someday
- Boys raised by two married biological parents are less likely to engage in criminal and delinquent behaviors.
- Children raised by their married biological parents also are less likely to get pregnant or impregnate someone as a teenager.
- They are also 14 times less likely to be physically or sexually abused than children raised by a single mother, and 33 times less likely than children who’s mother cohabits with a man other than the child’s father (source).
8.) Marriage means less domestic violence.
Married women are at lower risk for domestic violence than women in cohabiting or dating relationships, and married women are significantly less likely to be the victims of violent crime than single or divorced women. Married men are less likely to perpetrate violent crimes than unmarried men too! (source)
3 Financial Benefits of Marriage
9.) Being married increases the likelihood of affluence.
Two-income earners, or a better balance of saving vs spending when married, whatever the reason, you have a greater chance of being well-off when you are hitched.
10.) Married men make more money.
Husbands make on average 20% more in wages than their single peers. Blame it on their desire to better provide for their families, or their higher likelihood of higher educational attainment, but married men are better earners.
11.) Ever-married women are less likely to experience poverty when compared to never-married peers.
Regardless of race, family background, non-marital births, or education, ever-married women’s poverty rate is about one-third lower than never-married women, and currently two-thirds lower than other women.
Legal Benefits of Marriage
12.) Marriage has legal benefits (which are often financial benefits).
And then there all the legal benefits of being married. These are the main legal benefits of being married:
- Visitation rights
- Property and inheritance rights
- Life insurance trusts
- Discounts on various insurance rates
- Work benefits like sick leave, pension, retirement, days off for the birth of a child, etc,
- The ability to receive Medicare, Social Security, disability, and veteran’s benefits for a spouse
- Marital tax deduction and ability to file taxes jointly
With all the benefits of marriage, it seems like it must be the Golden Ticket to Happiness and Success!
But, we all know children who were raised in a home with their married biological parents who are completely screwed up. And we all know people who have died early, suffered depression, violence, poverty, and a crappy sex life in their marriage.
We also know people who are completely happy and well off living the single life and know children who were raised in single or cohabitating homes who are very well cared for and great individuals.
The reality is that these are just statistics. They are your odds. Your chances. Unfortunately, people suck. We are imperfect and screw up, sometimes majorly, and it can often lead to our marriages ending. However, you should still get married, because…
Marriage, itself, is a perfect, unifying, loving gift to mankind.
There is something beautiful about marriage, no matter how many marriages we see end. No matter how many imperfect marriages there are. We want our chance to beat the odds and to be like that one amazing married couple we know. We want to secure the best possible outcomes for ourselves, our children, and society by reaping all the benefits of marriage.
Marriage, in its truest sense, is a partnership of equals, with neither person exercising dominion over the other, but with each encouraging, comforting, and helping the other. Those who are married should consider their union as their most cherished earthly relationship. A spouse is the only person other than the Lord whom we have been commanded to love with all our heart! Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and essential to His eternal plan. Life’s greatest joys are found in the family! (source)
Thus, marriage is not obsolete, and people should still get married even in the 21st century.
How to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage
Just because something is hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t even attempt it in the first place! Marriage is worth attempting because if you get it right, it will be the best part of your entire life.
If you are married and struggling and need to know how to turn it around, to improve it, to steer it away from divorce and toward marital bliss, there is a free webinar you can attend to learn the 10 underlying causes of many “broken” marriages today and how you and your spouse can avoid them.
This webinar is put on by The Dating Divas and they will show you exactly which areas in your own relationship you need to address in order to divorce-proof your marriage. They share even more of their advice in their full 10-Week Reclaim Your Marriage program that they talk about in the webinar.
If you take them up on their challenge to improve and divorce-proof your marriage by joining the Reclaim Your Marriage Community, you’ll receive their Marriage Makeover Conference (a $42.00 value) for FREE! But, this bonus is only available until June 22, 2016! Check out their spectacular webinar and learn the secrets of successful marriages!
And then check out my top 10 ways to protect your marriage from divorce:
Do you agree with me? Are the benefits of marriage strong enough a reason to get married?
Becca says
It’s really interesting, isn’t it, the statistical link between marriage and economic security? I’ve read about it time and time again; and it just fascinates the pseudo-sociologist in me. If you get a chance, read Mary E Stovall’s presentation from the 1990 BYU Women’s Conference, “Did Grandmother Have a Happy Marriage? Myths and Realities of American Families.” It’s a terrific short history of marriage in America.
Katelyn Fagan says
Well, after a goose chase to find this talk, it looks like it’s only available in printed books. Found it in this one – http://amzn.to/1PsX9ao. Now to buy it or not…
Becca says
Ask around at church. I’m sure someone in your ward will have the book!
Chelsea @ Life With My Littles says
First of all, love your wedding pictures! Second of all, love this post! I totally agree! I didn’t get married young just because of those things, but they are great benefits!
Katelyn Fagan says
Thanks!! I LOVE them too. So glad we didn’t skimp on pictures. It’s one thing I always always always tell people getting married not to go cheap on. It’s really the best way to remember the big day! And yes, I didn’t get married necessarily because of these benefits, but they certainly do help!
Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says
Thank you for this article! #2 made me remember a time when I was thanking Phillip for all he did to pull his weight with the kids, the house, our life and how I couldn’t do it without him. He said something along the lines of, “Being married is great because they help you out with all the problems you wouldn’t have in the first place without them!” I also was married at 21 and it’s been almost 13 years and we have 6 kids ages 1 month through 12 years old, and I would not have it any other way!
Melinda Woideck says
Katie, your wedding pictures are absolutely gorgeous!!
And so is your family portrait!!
Wonderful benefits. And Since I’ve been married, and divorced both, I can testify that they are true statistics!
Stuart Dougherty says
Sister Fagan what temple were you married in?
Katelyn Fagan says
Chicago, IL!
Jessica Autumn says
Great list! There are so many benefits to getting married that I never fully appreciated when I was younger. I still have a ways to go before I get to experience the benefits of marriage. But I look forward to it. 🙂
Katelyn Fagan says
Yeah! Thanks!
José Duijf-Arets says
Dear Katelyn. I was married when I was 20 years old. My husband was 22. It was 1976. In those days young people married at a young age. We knew each other for four years then. It was love at first site. This year we have been married for 40 years. . We have two daughters , son in law and three granddaughters and one grandson. On daughter has been divorced this year.
In our marriage we had a lot of ups and downs as in every marriage. The normal things. But we mannaged by still loving each other and respect the partner for who he/she is. We still talk a lot about things and we try to help each other when there are difficulties. And we still love each other and talk about our feelings. If there are difficulties in a marriage, keep talking with each other about it. Keep hoping that things get better. Love your site Katelyn. You are a very lovely nice woman.
Clarity Lawyers says
Divorce is never easy but anyone can overcome it.
Harold Burton says
You made some good points there. I did a search on the issue and found most people will consent with your site.
VM Family Law says
Great content and tips that every couple can follow through. Divorce is hard but anyone can overcome it.