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   Home  > University > Articles

The public benefits of marriage: not just a “selection” effect

By Harry Benson

Marriage and cohabitation: not the same thing

The recently launched magazine for couples marrying in the UK, "marriedLIFE", published research findings on the benefits of marriage to health. However the studies cited commingled the categories of marriage and cohabitation, the implication being that they are the same thing. They are not. In the UK, an estimated 70-90% of couples who marry have also cohabited beforehand. Received wisdom is that living together before marriage is a good way to test a relationship. Many have concluded that there is no longer any need or point in marrying at all. The evidence suggests precisely the opposite is true.

Longevity and break-up

  • Cohabitees are far more likely to break-up than marriages. The median length of UK cohabitations is under 2 years. Just 4% of these last more than 10 years (Ermisch & Francesconi, 1998). 84% of UK cohabiting couples dissolve within 5 years (Kiernan & Estaugh, 1993). Unmarried parents are still 4-5 times more likely to break up than married parents (Boheim & Ermisch, 1999; Lindgren, 1997). Within 5 years of the birth of a child, 8% of UK married couples have split up, compared to 52% of cohabitees, and 25% of those who marry after the birth (Kiernan, 1999)
  • Prior cohabitation raises divorce risks. Many studies across the world find that prior cohabitation raises the risk of subsequent divorce by around 40-85% (Bumpass & Sweet 1995; Kahn & London, 1991; Haskey 1992). Multiple cohabitation may be the risk factor. Some studies, but not all, found that cohabitees who plan to marry are no different to married couples (Teachman & Polonko, 1990).

Abuse and violence

  • Marriage protects children from abuse. Cohabitation increases the risk. One UK study found that rates of serious child abuse were 6 times higher in stepfamilies, 14 times higher with mother alone, 20 times higher with biological parents cohabiting, 20 times higher with father alone, and 33 times higher with mother cohabiting, all compared to living with both biological parents married (Whelan, 1993). Other US studies confirm this greater risk of abuse from a live-in non-parent at 6-40 times (Daly & Wilson 1985). The greater risk of an under two-year-old child being killed by a live-in non-parent is 3-100 times (Daly & Wilson, 1998). The wide spread of risk occurs due to different study methodologies.
  • Marriage, not cohabitation, protects partners from violence. In a review of US national family and household survey data, violence between unmarried partners was 4 times greater than between married partners, even after controlling for education, race, age and gender (Waite, 2000)

Health, wealth & outcomes for children

  • Cohabitation does not protect against the health risks faced by singles. Mortality rates are little different (Lillard & Waite, 1995). In a longitudinal prospective study, cohabitee mental health did not differ at all from that of singles. But after controlling for medical history and lifestyle attitudes, cohabitation was a strong predictor of male alcoholism. The study concluded that reductions in risky behaviour appear to occur "only following marriage and not during cohabitation" (Horwitz & White, 1998).
  • The wage premium accruing to cohabiting couples is roughly half that of married couples (Daniel, 1995). But because marriages tend to last longer, so the relative returns to marriage increase with time. Oddly, for cohabiting couples, length of relationship has no effect on wealth accumulation (Hao, 1996).
  • Children of married couples do better at school. In an Australian study matching married and cohabiting couples for age, education, socio-economic status, personal attributes and relationship length, children of married couples were significantly more likely to do well at school (Sarantakos, 1996). US research concurs that children of cohabiting parents do less well – reduced academic performance, more school problems – after controlling for social, economic and parental factors Cohabiting parents spend less time engaged with their children (McLanahan & Sandefur, 1994).
  • Children of married parents are healthier. In the UK, rates of infant mortality are 30-40% higher amongst cohabiting couples and 40-70% higher amongst single mothers, compared to children born to married couples. Rates of SIDS are 3 times and 5-9 times higher respectively (ONS, 1999).

Both selection and cause

  • Some selection is clear. In the UK, both poor and affluent are likely to cohabit. But the poor are more likely to have a baby, which then reduces the likelihood of later marriage (Emisch & Francesconi, 1998). Attitudes also influence the choice between marriage and cohabitation. Women who value their career highly and men who value their leisure time highly are much more likely to cohabit. (Clarkberg et al., 1995). But so do parents attitudes. Parental divorce and attitude to divorce both predict greater likelihood that their children will cohabit (Axinn & Thornton, 1992; Kiernan, 1999).
  • But there are behavioural differences. Without commitment and the long-term view that goes with it, cohabitees tend not to risk specialising their roles as married couples do. The splitting or duplicating of all roles is inefficient, helping to explain for example the lack of time available for children’s homework.

The Benefits of Marriage

Divorce and separation – getting worse


In this article
- The Benefits of Marriage
- Marriage and cohabitation: not the same thing
- Divorce and separation – getting worse
- References

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Copyright © 2001, Harry Benson.


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