After all, Ooms points out, marriage remains a goal for the vast majority of Americans. Better Sex One reason marriage is desirable is that when it works well, it has emotional payoffs for partners. But Linda Waite, Ph.D., a sociologist at the University of Chicago, has marshaled evidence that marriage also has substantial benefits for health and well-being. Especially for men, marriage supplies a network of emotional support. Married women have better health, and live in better material circumstances, than single or cohabiting women.
Married people lead more active sex lives.
While cohabiting couples have similarly high levels of sex, married men and women have more satisfaction in the bedroom. That's because married people know the tastes of their partner better and can safely cater to them, while the emotional investment in the relationship boosts the thrill. In addition to having more sex, the married have more money. Further, married partners are more productive around the home than single people because each spouse can afford to develop some skills and neglect others, thereby increasing efficiency. Married couples also save more of their earnings than do single people at the same level of income.