The article, “Marriage Matters,” by Linda J. Waite, was featured in The Responsive Community in the summer of 1996. Throughout the article, Waite explains the physical, emotional, and financial benefits of being a part of a functioning marriage. Waite proclaims that we have been watching a steady decline in the popularity of marriage since the 1950’s. In that day and age, over two thirds of all men were married, black and white. By 1993, the tables had almost turned completely. Two thirds of black men and 40% of white men were not getting married. Waite believes that the decline in marriage is directly correlated with the rising popularity of cohabitation: living with someone in a sexual relationship without getting married. This causes more and more babies to be born into families with only one parent, which raises concern for the well being of both the child and the parent. Marriage not only provides personal security; it provides massive health benefits as well. Economist Lee Lillard conducted a study of married couples for over 20 years. Married couples, at any given point in time, have much lower risks of dying than those that are not in a relationship. He also found that single men, regardless of marital history, die much faster than women who are not in a relationship. On another note, married men are much less likely to abuse alcohol and other substances due to their feeling of responsibility that comes with marriage. Married men and women will reap significant financial benefits as well. Due to structure and routine that marriage provides, men and women are allowed to specialize. Instead of doing a little bit of everything, men and women will generally succumb to their
gender roles, making it easier for men to focus most of his attention on work which will eventually lead to an increase in pay. This becomes even more prominent in a less traditional family where both partners are employed, giving the unit a dual source of income. On a more risqué topic, sexual satisfaction increases dramatically on both physical and emotional levels within a marriage. Married couples, as well as cohabiting couples, enjoy very active sex lives. However, married couples have much better emotional and physical pleasure than those in a cohabiting relationship. Partners will spend years learning what their partner enjoys in the bedroom and will make it their goal to do it to the best of their ability. Cohabiting relationships will attempt the same thing, but