The Case for Marriage by Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher tests the fruit of marriage by drawing from demographic and sociological data collected during the past few decades. The common wisdom for many years was that marriage constricts people and harms women. This idea got its primary momentum from Jessie Bernard and her influential 1972 book, The Future of Marriage . Her appraisal meshed with the spirit of the day, and it stuck. They cite a robust new literature that shows marriage is good for both men and women, markedly better than being single, cohabiting, or getting divorced.
Married people have more satisfying sexual lives, both physically and emotionally.
They live significantly longer, healthier, happier lives and recover more quickly from illness. They are much less likely to slap, hit, and abuse each other than some have suggested. Marriage protects men and women from suicide and mental illness as well. And it is exactly the same for women as for men. Further, men and women who are married earn more money than their unmarried counterparts of any category and advance more quickly in their jobs.