Does Marriage Have Its Benefits?
By Scott D. Noble
August 12, 1998
Can marriage possibly be beneficial? Can the health and well being of an individual be affected positively by saying "I do?" Well, that depends on whom you ask.
In today's culture, marriage is oftentimes seen as the proverbial ball and chain relationship that many would like it to be. The last thirty years have witnessed continual attempts to injure the institution of marriage. These attempts have not only directly targeted marriage but have also attempted to redefine it. The institution of marriage has begun to fight back, though.
An example would be in regards to recent efforts to legalize same-sex marriages across the country. Marriage has traditionally been recognized as a covenant between one man and one woman. This view, however, has come under severe attack in states all across the country, as some have lobbied for legally recognizing marriage between two people of the same sex.
In response, about 30 states have now passed Defense of Marriage Acts (DOMA) to prevent their states from recognizing same-sex marriages that were initiated in other states. This effort appears to be gaining ground as more states are beginning to examine DOMA proposals.
Another area where the institution of marriage is fighting back concerns no-fault divorce laws. During the late 1960s and 1970s, virtually all states passed some form of no-fault divorce laws. These laws made it much easier for divorces to take place. Many states, such as Minnesota, only required one partner to cite "irreconcilable differences" for a divorce to be granted.
Thirty years after these laws went into effect, many states are now beginning to reexamine their positions on this issue. During the 1970s and 1980s the number of divorces reached an all time high as nearly one in every two marriages ended in divorce. The results of no-fault divorce laws are evident wherever you look - broken families, fatherlessness, poverty, etc.
The state of Louisiana recently passed a Covenant Marriage law, which makes it more difficult for couples to get divorced. If a couple chooses to have a covenant marriage, they will be required to attend premarital counseling, as well as prove abandonment, adultery, abuse, lengthy and continuous separation or some other damage before a divorce is granted.
Another issue that has received much attention is the marriage tax penalty. This tax penalty results in a married couple paying more in taxes than two single people living together do. At the state level, the Minnesota House and Senate both defeated an amendment last session that would have eliminated this penalty. However, the debate is moving in the right direction, and it will only be a matter of time before the marriage tax penalty is finally defeated.
Another way the institution of marriage is fighting back concerns the bevy of studies recently that have pointed to the health and well being benefits of married life. In an April 1998 article in Citizen magazine, Glenn Stanton quotes Leonard Pearlin of the National Institute of Mental Health and Joyce Johnson of the U.S. Department of Labor as saying, "Marriage does not prevent economic and social problems from invading life, but it apparently can help people fend off the psychological assaults that such problems otherwise create."
Also, research conducted at the University of Massachusetts
and published during the 1980s concluded, "one of the most consistent observations in
health research is that the married enjoy better health than those of other [relational]
statuses."
This is hard news to accept for the cultural and media elite in this country. For the past
thirty years the institution of marriage has been barraged by attempts to undermine and
weaken it. Feminist leader Gloria Steinem once remarked that a "woman needs a man
like a fish needs a bicycle."
Pop culture and the media have incessantly characterized marriage as outdated and oppressive. Television programs regularly depict marriage in a bad light and divorce as a way of freeing a person from the toils of matrimony.
This despite the fact that being married has substantial health benefits. Being married is a significant contributor to the state of health of an individual. Coupled with this fact, recent studies have shown that married people have the lowest illness rates while those who are divorced have the highest.
In the same Citizen article, Linda J. Waite, Ph. D., a demographer at the University of Chicago "argues that married people fare better because marriage encourages healthy behaviors such as regular, balanced meals, periodic medical checkups and regular sleep. Being married discourages negative behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking and drug abuse."
The benefits of marriage are also extended into other areas as well. Marital status plays a key role in educational attainment, illegitimacy, crime and poverty.
So, the institution of marriage has been fighting back, so to speak, against its devaluation by American culture. It is fighting back on a number of fronts nationwide and appears to gaining back some of the ground it has lost in the past thirty years. Also, as more people become aware of the health benefits of married life, maybe this will also be a cause for its reemergence as the bond that holds our delicate society together.
Scott D. Noble is the Communications Manager for the
Minnesota Family Council.
Minnesota Family Council / Minnesota Family Institute
2855 Anthony Lane South, Minneapolis MN, 55418-3265
phone 612.789.8811, fax 612.789.8858, www.mfc.org