After Prop 8 Defeat, New Research Offers 162 Reasons to Marry

Despite the defeat of Proposition 8 in California this week, one Christian group is forging ahead with a celebration of traditional marriage.

The Family Research Council’s Marriage and Religion Research Institute just released a new paper entitled, “162 Reasons to Marry” just in time for National Marriage Week, which runs from Feb. 7-14.

The new study aims to demonstrate the benefits of marriage across family, religion, education, finances, crime and health. For example, research shows that married people enjoy stronger relationships with their children; worship more regularly; participate more actively in their children’s education; work more productively; enjoy greater financial stability; have better mental and physical health; and are less likely to commit crime or abuse or to be victims of domestic violence.

“Marriage is the foundational relationship for all of society, and therefore we can be sure that there are many more than the 162 reasons for marriage enumerated here,” says Dr. Patrick Fagan, director of the Marriage and Religion Research Institute. “All other relationships in society stem from the father-mother relationship, and these other relationships thrive most if that father-mother relationship is simultaneously a close and a closed husband-wife relationship.”

Fagan says the outcomes evaluated represent all five of the major institutions, or tasks, of society. What’s more, children raised in intact married families are more likely to practice sexual chastity, to worship more regularly, to expect and attain more educationally, and to exhibit better physical and mental health. They are also less likely to experience poverty as children or to experience or commit violence.

“The family is one of the five major institutions of society. Within a family built on a good marriage, the child gradually learns to value and perform the five fundamental tasks of every competent adult and of every functional society—raising a family, practicing religion, receiving an education, working in the marketplace and participating in government,” Fagan says. “Children raised in strong families are mentored in all these areas, often unconsciously, and gradually they learn to act similarly. That is how we grow a great society. There is no short cut on this one.”

Click here to download “162 Reasons to Marry.”