Marriage: Ball and Chain?….

My husband and I had a discussion the other day about “What people want out of a marriage relationship”(That is a post for another day) and that was when the question “ Who benefits the more from a marriage relationship-the man or the woman”? arose….

While popular culture always points out that the man “loses" his independence  and financial stability (which is why they shy away from marriage), I am of the opinion that it is man that benefits more  in a marriage relationship, because of the following reasons: 

1. Marriage tends to give the man a sense of commitment and social responsibility, not only to his nuclear family but also to people around him, which leads to both financial/career success and achievements.

2.Typically, it is the woman that gives up or defers her career aspirations.The society subtly believes 

that the woman bears the most responsibility when it comes to raising a family.

3. In marriage, women bear a disproportionate share of the burden of pregnancies, child- bearing and childcare particularly in the early stages of marriage. They are also expected to continue to look cute and always sexy.

4. The woman is the one to give up her maiden name to take up the husband’s last name.

5. Studies have shown that ‘happily” married men tend to have longer life span than single men.

6. Men gain a readily available sex partner, …..or so one might assume….:)

However, women do benefit from marriage in the following ways: (this is not an exhaustive list) 

1. Studies have shown that women are more financially secure in marriage.

2. In a “happy” marriage relationship offers a woman more emotional support, which may insulate her from depression and anxiety which are twice as common in females as in males.

3. A married woman does not have to deal with the hassles of dating and the pressure from the society of being labelled single.

4. Research shows that married women have both higher frequency and  better quality sex lives.. 

However, I don’t think marriage should be viewed as a “business” partnership or a job contract. I think it is the mind-set of the 2 people in the marriage that determines the outcome of a marriage relationship…..