Just the Facts

• 85% of the U.S. population will marry at least once. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Age at marriage has been on the increase for more than four decades. In 1960, the median age for a first marriage was 22.8 years for men and 20.3 for women. In 2005 the median age for first marriage was 27 years for men and 26 years for women.  (Popenoe & Whitehead, 2004) 
• The percentage of people over the age of 18 who are married has steadily declined. In 1970, 68% of adults were married; 1n 1980 66%; in 1990, 62%; and about 60% in 2000. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)

• Married people live longer than unmarried or divorced people. Nonmarried women have 50% higher mortality rates than married women and nonmarried men have a 250% higher rate than married men. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000)
• Married people are happier than single, widowed, or cohabiting people. About 40% of married people report being very happy with their lives, whereas only 18% of divorced people, 15% of separated people, and only 22% of widowed and 22% of cohabiting people report being very happy. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000)
• Married people have more sex and a better quality sexual relationship than do single, divorced or cohabiting individuals. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000)
• Married people are more successful in their careers, earn more, and have more wealth than single, divorced or cohabiting individuals. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000; Antonovics & Town, 2004)
• Children from homes where the parents are married tend to be more academically successful, more emotionally stable, and more often assume leadership roles. (Waite & Gallagher, 2000; Manning & Lamb, 2003)   
• Adolescents living with their biological parents are less likely to have sexual intercourse. (Pearson, Frisco, 2006; Sieving, Eisenberg, Pettingell, & Skay, 2006) 
• Two-parent households protect children from the negative effects of poverty. In the U.S., nearly 60% of the children from single-parent households live in poverty, as compared to only 11% of children from two-parent families. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Adolescents living with both biological parents exhibit lower levels of problem behavior than peers from any other family type. (Carlson, 2006) 

• Males whose parents never married are significantly less likely to marry and more likely to cheat on their romantic partners. (Colman & Widon, 2004)

• Single-parent families rose to an all-time high in 2005 to 37% of families. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)  
• The percentage of two-parent families varies by ethnic/cultural group: 87% of Asian children live in two-parent homes; 76% of Caucasians; 70% of Hispanics; and 42% of African American. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• 30% of all children in the U.S. will spend at least some time in a stepfamily. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Contemporary families are more varied than ever before. There are stepfamilies, blended families, same-sex parents and couples, child-free couples, grandparents raising grandchildren, surrogate parents, foster care families, extended families living together, and a variety of informal family arrangements. (Halpern, 2005)

• More than half of all couples cohabit before marriage. The number of cohabiting couples has increased 800% since the 1960’s, when fewer than 500,000 couples were cohabiting. In 2005, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 5.5 million couples were cohabiting.

• Cohabiting before marriage is related to more frequent arguments during marriage as well as a greater perceived risk of separation and divorce when compared to couples who did not live together prior to marriage. (Hill & Evans, 2006)
• Couples who cohabit before remarriage report lower levels of happiness in their marriage than remarried couples who did not cohabit. (Xu, Hudspeth & Bartkowsk, 2006)

• There were 2.3 million marriages and 1.2 million divorces in 2005. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006) 
• Almost 20 million Americans—about 9.9% of the U.S. population—are currently divorced. ( U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• People marrying today have a 50% chance of divorcing. Statistically, 40% of first marriages, 60% of second, and 73% of third marriages end in divorce. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006) 
• About 75% of those who divorce will eventually remarry. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Of the marriages that survive divorce, the quality of some of those may be poor. (Popenoe & Whitehead, 1999b)
• After 10 years of marriage, it is predicted that only 25% of couples will still be happily married (Glenn,1996)
• Most divorces involve children, and more than 1 million children are affected by divorce each year. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Women are more likely than men to file for divorce. (Popenoe & Whitehead, 2005)

• Premarital preparation can reduce divorce rate by 30%. (Stanley, Amato, Johnson & Markman,2006)
• A recent meta-analysis of 11 experimental studies found significant differences favoring couples who received premarital education. The overall effect size was very large (.80), representing a 79% improvement in all marital outcomes compared to couples who did not receive premarital education. (Carroll & Doherty, 2003) 
• Couples who participate in a premarital program (PREPARE) significantly increased their couple satisfaction. In a recent outcome study, couples improved in 10 out of 13 relationship categories. (Knutson & Olson, 2003) 

• A large national sample (n=21,501) of married couples who completed a couple inventory (ENRICH) found the top five categories most predictive of marital happiness were: Communication, Flexibility, Couple Closeness, Personality Compatibility and Conflict Skills (Olson & Olson, 2000)
• Researchers have identified key characteristics of healthy families that are usually missing from problem families. They include: Connectedness, Flexibility, Social and economic resources, Clarity, Open emotional expression, Positive outlook and Spirituality. (Walsh, 1998)
• Teens that frequently eat dinner with their families are less likely to smoke, drink or use drugs. (The National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2005)
• Closeness with either a biological or step-father is associated with a decrease in the likelihood that an adolescent boy will expect someday to divorce. (Risch, Jodi & Eccles, 2004)
• Religious attendance is positively correlated with higher G.P.A.’s for teens. (Fagen, 2006)
• Couples who agree on spiritual beliefs report significantly higher marital satisfaction and couple closeness than couples who are low on spiritual agreement. (Larson & Olson, 2004)