Marriage Myths & Facts

 

With so many marriages ending in divorce these days, many couples are seeking counseling to analyze their relationship, and find ways to improve their chances of staying together. But before you start an analysis of your own marriage, take a look at these myths and facts.

Myth 1:
Marriage benefits men much more than women

Fact:
Contrary to earlier and widely publicized reports, recent research finds men and women to benefit about equally from marriage, although in different ways. Husbands typically gain greater health benefits, while wives gain greater financial advantages.

  
Myth 2
Having children typically brings a married couple closer together and increases marital happiness

Fact:
Many studies have shown that the arrival of the first baby commonly has the effect of pushing the mother and father farther apart, and bringing stress to the marriage. However, couples with children have a slightly lower rate of divorce than childless couples.

Myth 3:
The keys to long-term marital success are good luck and romantic love


Fact:
Rather than luck and love, the most common reasons couples give for their long-term marital success are commitment and companionship institution of marriage. The happiest couples are friends who share lives and are compatible in interests and values.

  
Myth 4:
Marrying puts a woman at greater risk of domestic violence than if she remains single

Fact:
Contrary to the proposition that for men "a marriage license is a hitting license," a large body of research shows that being unmarried — and especially living with a man outside of marriage — is associated with a considerably higher risk of domestic violence for women. One reason for this finding is that married women may significantly

under report domestic violence. Further, women are less likely to marry and more likely to divorce a man who is violent. Yet it is probably also the case that married men are less likely to commit domestic violence because they are more invested in their wives's well-being, and more integrated into the extended family and community. These social forces seem to help check men's violent behavior.

Myth 5:
Married people have less satisfying sex lives, and less sex, than single people

Fact:
According to a large-scale national study, married people have both more and better sex than do their unmarried counterparts. Not only do they have sex more often but they enjoy it more, both physically and emotionally.