Contrary to popular belief, marriage gives men and women an equal mental health boost. In 1972, sociologist Jessie Bernard looked at symptoms of anxiety, depression, neurosis and passivity in married and unmarried.She found that men were better off married than single, and concluded that they got those benefits at the expense of women. That became a central tenet of the women's liberation movement in the 1970s, and is still often cited. But psychologist David de Vaus from La Trobe University in Melbourne points out that Bernard's research only looked at a narrow definition of stress. "It is well known that women are much more likely to score highly on those disorders," he says. Most research has ignored the fact that mental disorder can manifest itself in men in the form of drug and alcohol abuse, de Vaus claims. So, in conclusion, marriage benefits both men and women when it comes to emotional health.
Marriage can make you look younger. COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jan 30, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Danish researchers say a happy marriage and plenty of money can take years off of a person's appearance.
The study, conducted by the University of Southern Demark, found that a married woman who has not spent a lot of time in the sun, could look at least seven years younger than a woman who is single. Also, marriage can make a woman look almost two years younger by the time she reaches middle age.
Financial reasons to stay married. {p]It is clear that divorce often comes with a financial penalty: 47 per cent of divorced people say divorce made their financial situation worse. In fact, respondents to the survey also reported that because of their divorce:
35 per cent had to go into debt.
22 per cent had to seek financial support from friends and family;.
28 per cent had to sell household items or personal assets; and.
27 per cent had to sell or redeem financial investments.
Children are affected financially as well. One poll found that 44 per cent of people said it was extremely difficult to save for post- secondary education after divorce.
Children of divorce are more likely to divorce.]/ol] Children of divorced parents often vow not to repeat the same mistakes their parents did. They want to avoid putting themselves and their own children through the pain and stress that comes from divorce. But, according to University of Utah researcher Nicholas H. Wolfinger, these children’s aspirations face unfavorable odds.
"Growing up in a divorced family greatly increases the chances of ending one’s own marriage, a phenomenon called the divorce cycle or the intergenerational transmission of divorce" says Wolfinger, assistant professor in the University of Utah’s Department of Family and Consumer Studies.
Wolfinger has spent a decade studying the marriages of children from divorced homes in America. These children are more likely to marry as teens, cohabitate and marry someone who is also a child of divorced parents. And they are also one-third less likely to marry if they are over age 20.