Marriage Is Good for You!

by T. C. Pinckney                                                                                       Vol. X, No. 9, Nov/Dec 1997

The above statement will not surprise the Christian who reflects that God formed Eve as a helpmeet (suitable helper) for Adam and brought her to him. It will surprise many in our contemporary “culture” (or lack thereof) who regard marriage as a primitive anachronism, at best an irrelevant, sentimental link to a narrowly constricted past, at worst a positive evil which inhibits us from fulfilling our full potential. As we observe the lives of the married and unmarried, those who took an objective view have always seen the positive impact of most marriages, but without scientific study presenting hard data it has been difficult to convince skeptics.

Now a British study based upon the 1991 British census provides support for the pro-marriage argument. The May-June issue of Family Research Report (available for $25/year from Family Research Institute, P.O. Box 62640, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-2640; 303-681-3113) summarizes the study findings.

Most studies do not cover institutionalized people, but the British study did so that it presents more complete and accurate results. While space precludes covering the full discussion in The Banner, here are a few of the more striking conclusions.

Being married protects most people from becoming institutionalized, whereas those not married are institutionalized in much higher percentages. Single men and women 85 or older with some sort of limiting condition were found to be institutionalized 49% and 47% respectively. On the other hand, married men and women with similar conditions were institutionalized 11% and 18% respectively. Those who are married and were between 55 and 64 years old were 50 times less apt to be institutionalized than the never married.

Marriage makes, or keeps, people healthier. “For most, marriage is THE best social security, THE best health insurance!” The healthiest group of men were those married to the same woman throughout the adult years, and being remarried is the next healthiest. For women being married to the same man is the healthiest state. Divorced women, whether remarried or not, reported the poorest health.

Once again, not surprisingly, God’s provision for men and women proves to make scientific sense. What else should we expect?