EMOTIONAL/SOCIAL/PHYSICAL

Marriage allows people to overcome feelings of loneliness and incompleteness by forming a complementary union, and provides a relationship of mutual care, respect, and protection. (Source: Bridget E. Maher, "The Benefits of Marriage," Family Research Council, February 18, 2005).

Married people are happier and healthier than widowed, divorced, separated, cohabiting or never-married people, and tend to live longer than those who are not married. (Sources: Charlotte A. Schoenborn, "Marital Status and Health: United States, 1999-2002," Advance Data from Vital and Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Number 351, December 15, 2004; Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially (New York: Doubleday, 2000) 50-52))

Unmarried people spend twice as much time as patients in hospitals as their married peers and have lower activity levels. (Source: Lois Verbrugge and Donald Balaban, "Patterns of Change, Disability and Well-Being," Medical Care 27 (1989): S128-S147).

Married people experience the lowest rates of mental disorder among all social groups of people, and are less likely to commit suicide than unmarried people. (Sources: David Williams, et al., "Marital Status and Psychiatric Disorders Among Blacks and Whites," Journal of Health and Social Behavior 33 (1992): 140-157; Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially (New York: Doubleday, 2000) 50-52).

Marriage protects women from domestic and general violence. (Source: Jan Stets, "Cohabiting and Marital Aggression: The Role of Social Isolation," Journal of Marriage and the Family 53 (1991): 669-680; Criminal Victimization in the United States, 1992," U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, (March 1994), p. 31, NCJ-145125).

Marriage provides the highest levels of sexual pleasure and fulfillment for men and women. Sources: Robert T. Michael, et al., Sex in America: A Definitive Survey, (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1994), p. 124-129; Edward O. Laumann, et al., The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994), p. 364, table 10.5; Andrew Greeley, Faithful Attraction: Discovering Intimacy, Love and Fidelity in American Marriage, (New York: Tom Doherty Association, 1991), see chapter 6).

WORK/INCOME

Married people enjoy greater wealth than unmarried people - and the longer they stay married, the more their wealth accumulates. (Source: Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially (New York: Doubleday, 2000) 97-123).

Married employees are generally happier and healthier than employees who are divorced, cohabiting, or unpartnered, and on average, they earn higher wages than their single counterparts and have lower absenteeism. (Sources: Maggie Gallagher, Why Supporting Marriage Makes Business Sense, p. 2, 7 (Corporate Resource Council, 2002); Linda Waite & Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage: Why Married People Are Happier, Healthier, and Better Off Financially, p. 97-123 (Doubleday: New York 2000)).

CHILDREN

Married parents give children the best chance of becoming happy, healthy, and morally upright citizens in the future. (Sources: Mary Parke, "Are Married Parents Really Better for Children?" Center for Law and Social Policy, May 2003, p. 1; Bridget E. Maher, "The Benefits of Marriage," Family Research Council, February 18, 2005).

Married parents tend to have better parent-child relationships. (Source: Sandra L. Hofferth and Kermyt G. Anderson, "Are All Dads Equal? Biology versus Marriage as a Basis for Paternal Investment," Journal of Marriage and Family 65 (February 2003): 213-232).