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Love and marriage can also lead to financial bliss.
If your Valentine’s Day plans include an engagement, congratulations! Besides romance, you also are more likely to experience financial joy – if your marriage works out.
Couples who get and stay married can have as much as four times the wealth of their single or divorced peers. Experts say that's not only because they can combine their salaries and share expenses once they get married.
Spouses are better off because of a combination of factors, starting with who is getting married these days.
“It’s more educated, more affluent and also more religious Americans that tend to get married in the first place,” said Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia.
That gives them a starting advantage over their peers who aren’t married.
Once they are married, the couples also are able to take advantage of economies of scale – anything from buying just one dishwasher to relying on one another’s health insurance. That allows them to build wealth more quickly than their peers who are single, divorced or living together romantically.
“You have further advantages,” said Pamela Smock, director of the Population Studies Center at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Smock said those advantages go beyond just sharing expenses. People who are married also are able to divide up responsibilities in financially beneficial ways.
For example, a married man may be able to work 12 hours a day to please his bosses and get promoted, because he and his wife can divide household duties so he can get ahead. That’s not as much of an option for a single parent.
The economic advantages also tend to be greater for those who are married than for those who are living together romantically, said Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at The Ohio State University who has studied wealth trends by marital status.
He said that while some people are in long-term, unmarried relationships, many cohabitating couples may not yet have committed to the idea that they will be together forever. That means they aren’t combining resources as significantly as married couples.
“Many people are living together as a sort of trial,” he said.
Are you struggling in the suburbs? We want to hear from you.
The wealth differences can be significant. Zagorsky’s research has shown that people who got and stayed married each had about double the wealth of single people who never married. Together, the couple’s wealth was four times that of a single person’s.
Other data also shows that married people see stronger financial advantages than just a doubling of wealth. According to the Census Bureau, in 2010 the median net worth for a married couple between the ages of 55 and 64 was $261,405. That compares to $71,428 for a man heading a household, and $39,043 for a woman heading a household.
Of course, those major wealth effects are for marriages that worked out. Zagorsky’s research found that those who got divorced tended to see their wealth fall dramatically, leaving them worse off than those who were single and had never married.
That’s one reason that Zagorksy said it’s important to marry for love, and hope it also will lead to money.
“Getting married and staying happily married is a wonderful way to increase your wealth,” he said. “Getting married with the idea it will make you rich is a terrible idea.”
The demographics of who gets divorced also play a role. Wilcox, of the National Marriage Project, said less wealthy people are more likely to get divorced, which may have to do with the stress caused by having very little money.
“More affluent and more educated Americans (are) not only more likely to get married, they’re also less likely to get divorced,” Wilcox said.
In general, government data shows that the divorce rate has stabilized in recent years, but the rate of people getting married also has fallen dramatically.
Smock noted that the idea of living together without getting married has lost its stigma, and having children without being married also is becoming commonplace.
But her research also offers another explanation for why less wealthy people aren’t getting married.
Many of the men and women she’s studied feel like they need to have some semblance of financial security to get married, such as a stable job or enough savings to hold an expensive wedding and reception. A surprising number of men and women also report wanting the man to have the type of job that makes him the primary breadwinner.
“Those people are more likely to be the privileged people,” she said. “And the others, the less well off, are doing family in a different way.”
Related: New tool shows whether you will have to pay Uncle Sam a 'marriage penalty'
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Um, cuz they have 2 incomes duh!
And because money tends to marry money and educated people marry educated people.
Common Sense-2004266 - the more educated people are the less likely they are to have children.
They also have found that married men earn more then non-married men and most of the higher 20% household income are with two people working.
Dating and/or being single and going out with your friends drinking every night can get really expensive...
Cause she wont let you spend your $
More wealthy married couples are less likely to get a divorce according to the article than less wealthy couples. Probably because the money will have to be split in the case of divorce and both are too greedy to give up the others share.
That, and that wealthy people tend to not be ignorant jack-asses that drop out of school, spawn a brood of seven children with all manner of father/mother combinations, collect food stamps and have lice.
@Robert Homig : Common Sense-2004266 - the more educated people are the less likely they are to have children.
I disagree... I know MANY people with Master's Degrees that have 3 or 4 kids... because they can afford them.
I think there is a higher correlation of areligious people not marrying and therefore not having kids. That's not to say they aren't just as smart or educated -- just that their life is different and they don't breed.
Married couples amass more wealth because the husband must maintain an income that will allow him to not only provide for his immediate family comfortably; but to also allow him to buy "nice things" for his girlfriend. Especially today! Happy Valentines day Honey.
Rich get richer because the rich are smarter and able to defer gratification. This is not about the 1%, this is about the top 25% or so. We worked our butts off to get into state U. Many of us worked and graduated with no or little student loan debt. We went to work for corporations, govt, or ourselves. We bought houses and we put money each month into the company 401K plan. We live within our means and save money for our children's college. We married spouses with similar education and income levels. Please note, we had kids AFTER we were married. We made education a priority for our children. Our kids worked hard at school, sports and always had summer jobs. Our kids were told to save their baby sitting and summer job money. Our kids will graduate college with no or minimum debt and have a nest egg for their first car.
Contrast that please with the poor white trash and inner city blacks. Many don't graduate from high school. Education is not a priority, tv and XBox are the priorities. Many that graduate high school do not read at grade level. They need remedial courses and take longer to graduate, if they graduate college at all. Many in this group are cohabitating. Many in this group have kids out of wedlock with no thought to the future.
My daughter is graduating this year after spending 4 years at a good state school. She has money in the bank from her summer and part time jobs. With the Obama economy, finding work will be difficult, but she will succeed. She will hopefully marry a nice guy that has similar ideas and attitudes. My middle class parents sacrificed and got all 3 of us kids through college with no debt. My wife and I live in a nice suburb of a major city. We sent our children through an outstanding public school system.
The rich do get richer and it has nothing to do with the tax code. It has everything to do with work, patience, and priorities. The bad news is my children and grandchildren will work 5 months per year to support those that won't work, get educated, or delay gratification.
Gary - you're ignoring a HUGE chunk of people smacked in the middle of your two scenarios...
but I agree with you on a lot, our nation isnt very good at defer gratification.
but here's what you dont grasp - all the people spending themselves into massive amounts of debt and making their futures unstable, are keeping the rich in their wealth.
doesnt matter what job you work, the dots all connect...
and if everyone, en masse, became uber responsible like you - our economy would collapse.
it indeed would.
I dont know what company you work for, but if it's dependent on all those losers blowing their money - I wouldnt be so quick to kick them while their down, or you might find yourself down where they are soon enough.
Jessica - You are right, debt fueled spending helped grow the economy, but not anymore. We needed a reset and this economy is forcing people to de-leverage. Gary's point is still true though - if you want to have a good life style, defer gratification and work hard. If everybody is responsible, economy does not collapse, we will have some quarters of correction and it will chug along fine.
As Gary pointed out, how to succeed financially in life isn't really that hard...the hard part is having the discipline to create a long-term plan and stick to it. Sure, the level of success may very a fair amount, but if someone wants an upper middle class lifestyle, it's attainable if they are willing to work hard and smart enough.
Great posts Gary420 and Ron, live below your means, work hard and plan for that rainy day because it's going to rain someday. Too many people want everything right away and that doesn't just include cars,$$ and such, also kids.
Two thumbs up Gary. That's spot on.
And Jessica, entirely not true. There are plenty of countries who have a far majority of responsible minded citizens and do just fine. An economy functions on the principle of consumption. If we had a 100% responsible society, everyone would retire at 60 and spend 20-30 years consuming while not pulling a paycheck. It all balances out.
Mark from Bridgeport -
""
@Terry-753375 considering that money problems are the number one cause of divorce in the US, it kind of makes sense that people with money would tend to get divorced less often. When you have the money to live comfortably, things tend to not be so tense which leads to a happier relationship. Or you know, we can just make broad sweeping generalizations of people, I think that's called stereotyping.
Auto 101
married men earn more because they have to slave all day long to feed the demanding wife and the hungry kids.
marriage is an outdated and SEXIST institution that NEEDS to be abolished!!!
MARRIAGE IS SLAVERY
A stupid article about a stupid study conducted by stupid people who needed to try and justify their meaningless existence and/or get their 15 mins. pfffft
SAY NO TO SLAVERY
Only possible in a perfect economy with zero sum game.
In our current economy, there are 4 applicants for every 1 job. If all available jobs were immediately filled, 3/4 of the job seeking population would still be seeking... basic math.
You need a job to "work hard". Our current status dictates that only 1/4 of the job seeking population has the ability to "work hard". Too many people, not enough possible jobs.
OUR economy would collapse, because we are a consumer-based economy. It is not as simple as flipping a switch to change an entire economy.
While almost all of the statements in the story and many in the comments are true and obvious there is something being left out.
Over 50% of marriages today end in divorce. And the number 1 reason for divorce today is money. And when a marriage ends in divorce, it drives people down to the bottom of the economic spectrum. So this isn't simply an issue that has only ups.
markl, me thinks you cheated and got caught! Did she take you to the cleaners?
Marriage is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life. It's been 18 years, and it has absolutely flown by.
Many lists of 'how to be happy in your life' begin with, marry the right person"! I say amen to that.
agree with Mitty and Cniht. The "between the lines" read is as interesting as the printed story. People who marry ans stay married for the long run do better in many ways. A lot of the article states obvious facts.
Boom, wrong wrong wrong.
you sound very whipped, however.
Why because your incapable of having a good marriage? And just so you know My income has gone up since being married. I'm a slave to earn the income for everyone? No I'm not a slave My wife works and she is even in the Army. Sounds like you could never find a way of mutual compromise. I feel sorry for you it really is pathetic.
sorry to break this to you, conformist slave, but you sound very whipped as well.
there is no such thing as a "good marriage" as marriage is nothing but a collar around your neck. a man proclaiming his "good marriage" is the same as a black guy celebrating his slavery. since you are insecure and weak-minded enough to believe that your life is not "complete" unless you have a woman by your side and you that you needed to get married to make more money, you are a very sorry individual.
you ARE a slave. all married men are SLAVES.
you have DENIAL written all over.
it's time to face the music.
You just have proved your incapable to be an adult and are very much wimpy. have fun being ignorant of the greatest thing on the planet and that is marriage. What I like is that I can have free sex when I want to and I don't need to get my computer infected by looking up porn I just have my wife for all that.
divorce rate is 50%. most new marriages end in 5 years. since she's in the army, not making a whole lot of money, who do you think is going to finance her life and maintain her level of living standards when the divorce comes? "free sex" is not really free. you ARE paying for it everyday. don't believe me? stay home and ask her to go to work. see how long your "sacred union" will last LMAO!
fact of the matter is you can still get sex without signing a paper giving another person half of your money (so you can get "free sex"). but since you have no game, you foolishly think that was the ONLY way to get sex. you are a weak victim of social pressure and female manipulation. you have "Buyer Remorse" written all over your face, slave.
Is that what you think????? You don't know much about the Military do you?Where we live as an E-7 she is making the equivalent of 130K with benefits added. in our area if we lived off post here we would get an extra 3,000 a month. However we live on post so her pay is only 69K a year, mine is variable but last year it was 40K.
That is what her last husband did they divorced when he decided to live in Canada instead of moving to Hawaii with her. She got tired of him over spending and being abusive also. any ways why would I want to stay home? I love my job as an Auto tech.
it is not her or mine money it is ours when are currently putting about 2-4K a month away to buy a house.
Sorry but that is full of crap. When we married I had never had sex because I believe in Christ and fallow the commandments of not fornicating. Yes I waited until I was married by choice. I came dangerously close several times when I was giving her back massages since that was my second career choice that I almost made. About three times a week I give her back massages because I love doing that and a nice bonus it usually turns into foreplay that lasts for some time. Some times 20 minutes sometimes 110 minutes depending on her stress it takes longer or shorter or I just maker stay on edge as long as I can handle it.
I tell you what she didn't marry me for money at the time I was in debt 55K and she was 75K. We paid that off in 4 years. And she didn't marry me for looks I was over weight.
Sounds like you just made some bad choices mark and a trying to project them on to everyone else. Sorry you're bitter.
People with the marital status of "married" also seem to get more breaks in life, financial and otherwise.
Single folks still suffer discrimination based on their marital status. Not cool.
Married people contribute to society more by rearing offspring who are the next generation of leaders, engineers, etc...
And the single children/women (me) are the ones saddled with the responsibility, and cost, of tending the elderly parents while the two-income married siblings think they are just fantastic for attending kiddie soccer games while dumping the frail parents on the single siblings.
Get off your high horse just because you breed. I get no tax breaks.
Mike- from the looks of it, most today's generation is not much of a contribution than a burden on past generations.
Katherine, give it a rest. I spent much of the last year writing $8,000 a month checks to keep my then 90 year old mother in a nursing home, then ran to my grandkids soccer games, then went to work to earn the $$$ so that I could retire.
I say get over yourself Married people take care of their parents all the time so get over yourself.
Just a note: Why are we talking like our parents are "such a burden?"
Yes, it may be expensive, but considering the amount of time and money my parents spent to raise and educate me, I look forward to returning the favor, because *gasp* I love my parents and credit them for much of my success today.
I'd rather be single than miserably married. That said, I was a single mom, lived just barely above poverty level, worked hard educated myself and finally reached a descent income. I put my kid through college (no loans) and recently retired: ALL BY MYSELF! Learn to take care of yourself so that having a partner, spouse or significant other is the frosting on the cake.
Wow tackandcover, you wrote a check to take care of your mother. And $8000 a month? That's ridiculous! You are lying!
Miss Cooper - Really, a descent income? So that would infer a falling income?
Wow, all of you people are so bitter. Just because your experiences suck, doesn't mean it's the same for everyone else. My parents were burdened with taking care of all of my grandparents because their single siblings were too busy having fun to bother helping out. Oh, and the single siblings were also the first ones to put their hands out for inheritance once they passed. But that doesn't mean I think that all single people are selfish greedy people. Everyone is different and everyone's experiences are different.
Widows and widowers get cut more breaks as well. Broad brush statements tend to lump a lot of folks together. I know single people (never married, divorced) who are doing "better" than married people as they don't the partner wondering where the money went. I agree with an earlier post - finances is the number one stressor in a marriage which will lead to divorce - it happened to me. There's arguments for both sides of this coin.
EE Guy, sorry I meant decent (as in 6 figures), damn that keyboard. Of course, the name is Copper not Cooper, so we both screwed up.
Poppie Cock. Your offspring aren't going to Jack @!$%# for me in my old age. They may turn out to be murders and I'd still have to pay for them.
Marrieds take off more time from work, leaving us singles to carry the water. They have tax breaks/earnings for having unneeded kids (can you count to 7 billion?). Singles pay the same property taxes as those who use the schools.
Personally, I contribute way too much to stranger's kids. I'd rather have no discrimination in favor of parents and let me say who gets my money and time.
And don't call me a liberal or a conservative - I can't stand either group. The left wants bloody free FLMA instead of making people save to have kids before having them and the right wants to outlaw abortion and contraceptives while shoving their religion down our throats.
People who are "married" file Joint income tax returns, single people living together don't. That screws the singles by thousands every year, compounded.
They also have more relatives , which can lead to more inheritances.
Just saying...
That's very true! But one thing this study didn't account for was the partner in a relationship/marriage who spends secretively. You know, the wife or husband that hides expensive purchases or has a very expensive hobby. And, as the saying goes, "Those who make more, spend more!"
Inherit what? Many of the so-called greatest generation had their "wealth"tied up in their homes. I saw my now late aunt's home plummet in market value from $350,000 to less than half that. My mother's modest home in an over 55 community went from over $160,000 in market value to less than $100,000 when it was sold. What money there was went not to the grandchildren but to the nursing homes
I would imagine it's because you're doubling your income but splitting things like housing, childcare costs, vehicles, tax breaks because dual income is more likely to own a home. I don't think it's that complicated.
But if you read the study, it is looking beyond that. It noted that, on average, married people earn 4x collectively than what single people do and have a far higher net worth. I think Common Sense was on to something with more educated people marrying while less educated co-habitate and money issues being a large reason for divorce which obviously impacts the poor more than the middle and upper class.
How do you double your income when one spouse makes $100K and the other makes $30K?
You can live off of the 100K and save the 30K that would give you a very high net worth after 30-40 years.
Auto101,
Or live off about 50-70k and save the rest...then be in a position to retire that much sooner. (or more likely, semi-retire to satisfying part-time jobs or charity work)
Funny title to this article - "it's complicated" - no it isn't, it's simple. The two party system was created by mother nature/god/man or whatever you believe. The two party system has lasted a long time because IT WORKS.
Stats show that a child raised in a household with a mother and a father does better in school and in college. This same child tends to get married and stay married. This child tends to pursue a career and has a better chance at success. These comments are backed up with statistics - is this a better life? Is it a life that tends to be more stable (hence creating/saving more wealth)?
Are their exceptions to this, absolutely, but the stats don't lie - married people are more stable. That leads to more wealth.
Sorry for the single folks that feel they've been cheated somehow but its nature. If we didn't have this two party system humans would have dies out long ago.
@ the same time, the people who are the worst off when it comes to money is divorced persons with one child.
The cost of living is so high one person can hardly make ends meet plus save money for car expenses, medical expenses and other misc. expenses. It is our own fault, as consumers we keep feeding the system that keeps raising the prices.
What bothers me most about being single is how everyone is always assuming that I have a lot more money in the bank. In fact, because I pay so much in taxes, food, shelter, clothes etc. I have a lot less than people assume. When I try to save and spend less, people wonder if I'm as successful as I say. It's like, just because I "should" or "can afford" very expensive outfits/purses/shoes, etc! What's worse is when couples with children assume their "single friend" will assist them financially and/or be the one to help them spoil their kids "because their too busy saving for their money for their kids' college tuition, etc." BS! Their kids get all the perks when it comes to College Grants, Scholarships, etc. Who are they kidding ?!?
Sounds like you need to get new friends if people are expecting you to pay their expenses.
Appearance is pretty useless, Lisa.
I make a comfortable living, yet my shoes have holes in them, I wear a hoodie to work, and I share a car with my wife. People that think appearance is a sign of success - you don't need them, nor their input. As long as needs are being met (e.g. food, clothing, shelter), who cares so much about keeping up?
Yeah, but the single guys don't have to pay the hookers for sex like the married guys. There is a nice cost savings right there.
"Yeah, but the single guys don't have to pay the hookers for sex like the married guys. There is a nice cost savings right there."
Obviously... you've never been married or if you have you don't realize the costs of a relationship. Also ... remember that from marriage kids can occur and those are extremely expensive.
All this may be true, as it's obvious any "load" is much easier to carry with two people ... but what this article fails to mention is the "50% DIVORCE rate. Ask any guy what this costs them .... in legal fees alone.... loss of property, savings, etc., wrangling over rights to see children...etc., -- Staying single could be considered a safety measure for many. As the saying goes, people are on their best behavior during the first "in love" years, and a minimum of five years living together is a good idea to see what goes sour and what conflicting personality traits come out.
You can ask any women about the cost also. Divorce with children is one of the largest causes of poverty. To stay married happily is the easiest and the most difficult thing you can do. But the thing is you both have to really want it.
I disagree with that. We dated for a long time before I purposed to my wife it was 3 months and three months latter we were married. IN that three months waiting time we went to marriage counselor and we talked about how we will handle money, raising kids, retirement, concerns about the other, In-laws, and many other things. We didn't talk about sex until after marriage. We have in 41/2 years paid off 130K in debt. We have two kids and we have not stopped taking about money, raising kids, retirement, In-laws, and other concerns. I stopped playing games for the most part and only play them when my wife is not around so i can spend time with her. I don't go fishing because spending quality time with my to young kids is more important. Nothing about living together will teach you about how to truly live together.
Probably bad taste, but this reminds me of a joke:
"I asked my wife what she wanted for our anniversary.
She said a divorce.
I said pick something cheaper."
True, the cost burden for divorce is disproportionately against the man. Credit the family law industry for that. Most congressman and senators are/were lawyers and put these laws in place to benefit their profession. Unconscionable.
Not necessarily true - when I got divorced, I was the major bread winner, carried all insurance, paid all the bills, etc., for the two of us and our four children. Not only did I get to keep paying all of the above but the money I received from my ex-husband for child support was ridiculous. Consequently, XMas shopping at the Goodwill and selling jewelry to buy groceries was a reality and he did not have to contribute one thin dime to any of it. He ended up making out like a bandit.
Absolutely true for me & my wife of 43 years. Another reason is that married couples provide a check and balance on spending and investment, so less likely to do foolish things with money. They also budget together. And if one loses a job, the other can maintain the household sufficiently until both are working again.
It really *is* complicated. There's no need to get all upset with each other over this.
Complaining about lack of tax breaks -- we all get screwed.
Ever filed jointly as a married couple, no children, renters? You don't get a single deduction, and you just end up paying through the nose. There is no "magic privilege" for being married when it comes to paying taxes.
Agreed, my wife and I are in that situation. We both do very well, no kids, renting, two new cars and enjoying life.... That is until the reaping, commonly referred to as tax season.
All you single fuks who want to complain, try again when your in our situation. we get raped by state and feds every year.
Being single from a tax standpoint isn't any better either. I work 2 jobs make less than 40,000 a year and state taxes get me every time. I live a very simple life no fancy vacations, cars or electronics either. My child is grown and if it wasn't for my mortgage on a small modest house I would be in a lot worse shape then I am.
Matt, ever filed as a single, no children, renter with the same total income as the couple filing jointly? You pay a LOT more than they do. The tax laws were written to encourage marriage and families.
joe: citation needed.
Agreed, we all pay too much in taxes...but that is what it costs to let the titans of finance get by with 15% or less AND be the world police.
I am shocked! An article on MSNBC espousing the value of traditional marriage. I thought the nuclear family was an oudated institution, and not something which is a conduit to wealth and social stability. Actually that was apparent to pretty much everybody, even before this study was done. I would love to see how much of this wealth effect and the stability of marriage is dependent on having biological children, and a male-female relationship. But that would be too much to ask from MSNBC.
Well, Jason, you see -
Lesbians. Yes, lesbians have outperformed every other arrangement of raising children. Their children tend to be smarter than average, have a much lower incarceration rate, be healthier, more fit and disease-free (including STDs), better educated, and generally just have the best character.
So, by your logic, we should abdicate all child-rearing responsibilities to lesbian couples. Not straight couples that produce the children, not single parents, cohabitating parents, married parents, or gay men. Lesbians.
Janstince, Can you point us to the study you quoted here?
Probably not because she made that up to substantiate the lesbian mess she now finds herself in.
Actually, most liberals support traditional marriage alongside other marriages. We just don't want BIG BROTHER to DICTATE to us how to get married or to whom. We believe in the free market as it were, for people to decide for themselves how to live an whom to love. Please help us remove these burdonsome regulations and let the free market of love thrive!!!!
Smart people make smart decisions, and become life's winners.
Losers are..... well..... losers.
By the way, if divorce actually leads to such detrimental outcomes, and divorced people are worse off than people who never married, what does that say about gay marriage? For instance, gay individuals who were married are statistically much more likely to divorce than heterosexual couples, even in such liberal minded utopias as Sweden and Norway:
Andersson, Gunnar (February 2006) (PDF). The Demographics of Same-Sex "Marriages“ in Norway and Sweden. 43. Demography
Checks and Balances.
Single guy - I want that expensive TV. Buys it. Married guy - I want that expensive TV. Wife doesn't let him buy it.
Single lady - I want that expensive foot massager. Buys it. Married lady - I want that expensive foot massager. Husband doesn't let her buy it.
Not always true, there are plenty of single people who are financially responsible or stingy, some are big into saving everything into retirement rather than getting the latest fancy gadget.
Uhm, try single lady: I want that expensive TV. Boyfriend: awesome! Let's get it.
No need to be sexist
I'm 48, single, have zero appeal to women looking for husbands - and I am very happy!
You mean to tell me you are single by choice, happy, and yet you continue to live? The wedding industry says that is impossible!
getting married to get rich IS the idea for women.
they got nothing to lose, and WILL ALWAYS get half of the guy's in the divorce because of the corrupt justice system.
you better hope guys stay dumb and think with their penis so they keep marrying you women, coz when they get smarter they know it's a losing deal.
I know it happens, but men who need to rely on a woman for money scare/creep me out, and I am not a golddigger or anything but some people clearly love money more than people, I like money to have fun with but I don't love it.
Also I come from a family of good/tradional structure, my father was a lawyer, all of my siblings are educated(lawyers,etc) and have some wealth. some choose to marry and some do not because they have the option to do as they wish.
For instance, when controled for age, education and income, homosexual women were 303% more likely to divorce their "wife" in Norway and Sweden, than heterosexual women to divorce their husband. Homosexual men were 50% more likely to divorce their "husband" than heterosexual men to divorce their wife, DESPITE the fact that only roughly 1000 homosexual marriages were formed in 9 years since the introduction of same sex marriage in Scandinavia, compared to more than 180,000 heterosexual marriages. So that means homosexuals are 1/5th as likely to get married in the first place, and 180% more likely to get divorced if they do get married.
everything is based on the family unit,as it has been for as long as there has been people.
but people today are different than our parents I think, I think my parents actually loved each other although they had their problems. too many people are insecure, jealous, cheaters, liars, selfish, sociopaths, narcissistic ego driven psychos.
quality person + quality person = quality relationship, but there are less quality people today.
Terri Lee ain't that the truth!
agreed
More evidence to support the fact that God's plan for one man and one woman to commit to each other until death is the best plan.
you're going to make people sad saying the truth like that.
@Whatever, for some people sure. But even according to the studies there are some divorced people who do better, some gay couples who do better, etc. Maybe on average, traditional marriages that stay together do better, but there will always be outliers...what about them?
You all raise valid $ points, but I'd like to add it is the love, I share with my husband, that makes me rich. I have been married to a wonderful man for 33 years. We have weathered storms and raised a wonderful family. The last 3 years he has helped me weather cancer treatments. As far as the money angle goes? We have always lived below our means and saved and carefully invested the rest. Everything we have, we have worked hard for and earned ourselves. We may not be rich by other people's standards, but we feel very rich indeed.
Sounds like you 2 have it figured out, congratulations on a long, happy, successful marriage. That's very hard to find nowadays!
Marriage isn't the reason people that have been married for a long time do so much better than other people, it's the commitment of the 2 people in the marriage. People with a commitment attitude do better at everything they do than narcissistic people. Most people get married for lust who do not have the capacity for love. The marriages never last because there was never a commitment to the other person.
You mean the black community's constant out-of-wedlock breeding program doesn't lead to wealth and success? What a stunning finding...
Was this a high school student reporting. come one. Really. Two incomes and living in the same house is better than one person living in a house. Wow. Never would have thunk. Been married for 20 years and will be in 20 more. (to one woman)
This is true, my married friends make far more money than myself, and we have similar educations. I just figured it was because I was financially wasteful.