jamesglewisf
10-06-2000, 09:41 AM
Who benefits more from marriage, the husband or the wife?
There was an interesting article (http://www.usatoday.com/life/dcovtue.htm) in the 10/3/2000 USA Today about a new study from a noted University of Chicago sociologist and feminist Linda Waite. She co-wrote a study called The Case For Marriage. If the link no longer works, send me an email, and I will send you it as an Adobe Acrobat Document.
The most pervasive theory today is that men benefit most from marriage. According to this theory (not mine), the men get a cook, a maid, a baby sitter, sex, and a second bread-winner. Women just get to do all of the work.
Not so, according to Waite. Here is what her study found according to the USA Today: Men get more health benefits from marriage than women do because wives influence husbands to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Both married men and women express "very high and very similar levels of satisfaction with their marriages." They are similarly happy. Husbands and wives are equally committed to each other and to marriage.
Women gain more financially than men do.
Both sexes gain in sexual satisfaction, but women gain more. The sense of commitment in marriage increases a woman's sexual satisfaction, while having a steady partner he cares about increases a man's.
The mental health of both sexes is boosted if a wide range of disorders is considered.
So, what do you think?
There was an interesting article (http://www.usatoday.com/life/dcovtue.htm) in the 10/3/2000 USA Today about a new study from a noted University of Chicago sociologist and feminist Linda Waite. She co-wrote a study called The Case For Marriage. If the link no longer works, send me an email, and I will send you it as an Adobe Acrobat Document.
The most pervasive theory today is that men benefit most from marriage. According to this theory (not mine), the men get a cook, a maid, a baby sitter, sex, and a second bread-winner. Women just get to do all of the work.
Not so, according to Waite. Here is what her study found according to the USA Today: Men get more health benefits from marriage than women do because wives influence husbands to adopt healthier lifestyles.
Both married men and women express "very high and very similar levels of satisfaction with their marriages." They are similarly happy. Husbands and wives are equally committed to each other and to marriage.
Women gain more financially than men do.
Both sexes gain in sexual satisfaction, but women gain more. The sense of commitment in marriage increases a woman's sexual satisfaction, while having a steady partner he cares about increases a man's.
The mental health of both sexes is boosted if a wide range of disorders is considered.
So, what do you think?