(taken from the National Fatherhood Initiative's "The 7 Benefits of Marriage for Men" brochure)
Healthy Children - Children who grow up in a home with their two married parents are healthier, on average, than are children who grow up in a home in which their parents just live together. Children who grow up with their married parents are, for example, less likely to be abused and to misbehave in or drop out of school. These children are more likely to have good marriages of their own and to not wind up as a pregnant teen or to abuse alcohol or drugs. Marriage gives children the best chance at a healthy life.
Healthy Marriages Lead to Strong Relationships With Children - Marriage provides the best chance for fathers to create strong relationships with their children. Men who wait to have kids until they marry are three times more likely to be involved in their children's lives than are men who have kids outside of marriage. Dads who have good marriages are, on average, more involved in their children's lives than are never-married or divorced dads. That's because it's easier for married men to be with their children every day, and to nurture their kids at every stage of growth. Marriage can provide the joy of growing with your children every day.
Better Family Finances - Married couples have twice the money and assets that unmarried couples do. This can create a better financial future for couples and their children. And married men are more likely to save and invest, even when they have the same income as unmarried men. Marriage also comes with tax, inheritance, and Social Security benefits. Marriage can help you make the most of your family's finances.
Fuller, Happier Lives - Married men are more likely to say they are happy than are unmarried men. After divorce, men are worse off overall than are women. The well-being of the family is the highest priority for most married men. When men focus on their wives and their children, not just on themselves, it helps them to lead full, happy lives. And married men are less likely to be depressed. Marriage gives men more family members they can turn to for social, emotional and financial support. Marriage can benefit you through a focus on the family.
A Long, Healthy Life - A full, happy life often leads to a long, healthy life. On average, married men live longer than do unmarried men. Married men are more likely to take care of themselves. For example, they're more likely to stay in shape and to get medical help when they need it. And married men are less likely to do things that can hurt them, such as smoking, drinking, or using illegal drugs. Marriage can give you a great chance at a long, healthy life.
More, Better, and Safer Sex - One sign of a full, happy life is an active, good, and safe sex life. Married couples say they have sex more often than do unmarried people. And married men say they have better sex than do unmarried men. Married men work hard to build healthy relationships with their wives. They know that sex is best when they stay faithful to one woman. They also know that sex is best when they are emotionally close to their wives. And when a husband and a wife are faithful, sex is safer physically and emotionally. There is little chance that you will get a sexual disease if you and your wife are faithful. Marriage can give you the best chance for an active, great, and safe sex life.
Increased Faithfulness - One reason that sex is better and safer in marriage is that married men and women are, on average, more faithful to each other than are men and women who simply live together or who date. You may be surprised to learn that most married men and women are faithful to each other. One study found that only 4 percent of wives are unfaithful compared to 20 percent of unmarried women who live with a man and 18 percent of women who date.
