Married couples, when compared to their single or divorced counterparts, are more likely to own homes and stocks, and attain affluence, according to researchers at the Heritage Foundation. They also discovered married households earn $12,000 more annually than cohabiting couples and are less likely to default on bills. Spokeswoman Christine Kim said that's because married couples work for the future.
“Married people are planning ahead and thinking about having children, and that may impact home ownership," she told Family News in Focus. "There are a lot of things going on that would suggest that marriage would have an impact on economic well-being.”
Jenny Tyree, associate marriage analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said marriage brings stability to both husband and wife.
“Married men tend to make more money than single men," she said. "That affects not only them, but their children, who are much less likely to experience poverty. In contrast, a cohabiting couple does not have a marriage commitment and are less likely to be fully invested in each other's lives. Consequently, they have less of a reason to plan a future together.”
