Marriage

1
Marriage

• Fact and Fiction

2
What is Marriage For?
3
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

4
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

5
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

6
What is Marriage For?

• It enjoys social approval and public recognition
• It gives positive social status and a new
  identity to men and women

7
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

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Top 10 Myths of Marriage

• Benefits men more than women
• men and women benefit equally from marriage
• men gain greater health
• women gain financially
• Having children increases marital happiness
• first child can drive parents apart
• couples with children have a lower divorce rate

9
Top 10 Myths of Marriage

• Keys to success - good luck and romance
• takes more than good luck and love
• takes commitment and companionship
• More educated women dont marry
• change from the past
• today, college graduates are more likely to marry
  than their non-college peers

10
Top 10 Myths of Marriage

• Couples who live together before marriage have
  better relationships
• they have a far higher chance of breaking up
• People cant 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

11
Top 10 Myths of Marriage

• 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 wives wellbeing
  than boyfriends
• Married people have less satisfying sex
• actually, married people have sex more often
• and they find it more satisfying, both physically
  and emotionally

12
Top 10 Myths of Marriage

• Cohabitation is just like marriage, but without
  the piece of paper
• cohabitation does not bring the benefits of
  marriage
• couples are less committed
• 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

13
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

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10 Facts About Marriage

1. The more similar people are in their values,
   backgrounds, and life goals, the more likely they
   are to have a successful marriage
2. Women have a significantly higher chance of
   marrying if they do not have a baby out of wedlock

15
10 Facts About Marriage

1. College educated people are more likely to marry
   and LESS likely to divorce than people with lower
   levels of education
2. Cohabitation is not useful for having a better
   marriage

16
10 Facts About Marriage

• Marriage helps people have more money
• married men earn 10 - 40 MORE than their
  unmarried counterparts
• men work harder after marriage
• Married couples have better sex

17
10 Facts About Marriage

1. Children from divorced homes are less likely to
   marry and more likely to divorce
2. For large portions of the American population,
   the risk of divorce is far below 50

18
Declining Marriage Rates in America
19
Percentage of SpousesWho Said Their
MarriagesWere Very Happy
20
Divorce Trends in America
21
In the West, marriage is a child-rearing
institution

• It is becoming more important than
• race
• class
• neighborhood
• in determining a childs future

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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

23
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

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Benefits to Adults

• Married people are LESS likely to
• take moral or mortal risks
• attempt or commit suicide

25
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

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Benefits to Men

• Better health habits and greater longevity
  (longer life)
• Earn more money
• Strengthens the bonds between fathers and their
  children

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Benefits to Women

• Financial gain
• Better sex lives
• Makes them happier mothers

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Benefits to Society

• Marriage
• is a childrearing institution
• produces wealth
• promotes pro-social behavior