The most dangerous of these, they believe, is the notion that marriage is essentially a private matter between two adults. They believe this reinforces the idea that emotional gratification is the main purpose and benefit of marriage. The M-word has been excised from academic literature and courses in sociology. Lawmakers, judges and policy analysts view special support for marriage as a form of discrimination against the unmarried. The authors conclude that marriage is a state promoting physical and mental health, there are sexual advantages in being married, children thrive in and long for two-parent families and that being married means having more money.
Marriage then is an important public good.
Waite and Gallagher lament that in the United States there is no federal responsibility for data on marriage and divorce. They advocate greater scrutiny of policies, restoring the special legal status of marriage and enlisting religious and community support programs. It is clear that the writers support faithful, once-only marriages. They recognise that married unions compare favourably to those of cohabiting couples. There is a demonstrable difference.