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There are many benefits of marriage that make this institution important in most cultures. It is not just a union of two individuals, but it also brings two families together. The benefits include moral, social, and financial. These benefits reflect on individuals as well as their families. However, marriage is a lifelong commitment that may not be everybody’s cup of tea. Therefore, one should get married only when they are ready for it and not succumb to social pressure or other obligations. Only when one understands the benefits and drawbacks of marriage should they make an informed decision about the future of their relationship. Read this post as we talk about various advantages of marriage and how they help in individual growth too.
Key Pointers
- A wedlock comes with several advantages for an individual.
- An improved lifestyle, health, finances, and security are crucial elements.
- Besides, one can also enjoy social, tax-related, and legal benefits after a wedding.
General Benefits Of Marriage
A love affair is often concluded by marriage. You may be living together before marriage, but the institution of marriage is considered an anchor. Marriage is not only the next big step for most serious relationships, but also comes loaded with a lot of benefits that can change your overall well-being. Some of these benefits include:
1. Improved life expectancy and recovery rates
While life expectancy varies based on your income, lifestyle, and where you live, research has proven that, on an average, married couples enjoy a higher life expectancy. This can be due to a healthier lifestyle and more contentment when you are married than when you are divorced or not married (1).
A study conducted by the researchers at the Aston Medical School and the University of East Anglia found that married people were 14% less likely to die after a heart attack than single people and spend two fewer days in hospital than single people (2).
2. Improved sleep patterns
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In a study conducted by Troxel WM, et al., a partner’s presence or being in a lasting relationship is associated with better sleep quality. The researchers believe that this could be due to improved health, more routine schedules, and greater financial security (3).
3. Increased sense of companionship and happiness
While marriage isn’t essential to feeling a sense of connectedness and happiness, it is undoubtedly the highest form of intimacy and companionship one can share with someone.
It results in more time spent together, fewer cases of loneliness, and higher life satisfaction from coming home to a loved one.
4. Improved health and lifestyle
In a marriage, the two partners agree to an unspoken contract of understanding and compromise. Whether it is not smoking for fear of your partner suffering from the effects of passive smoking or eating healthy because married couples tend to eat more home-cooked meals, marriages by nature tend to offer health benefits. It’s important to note that married couples tend to have far lower rates of drug and alcohol abuse as well.
5. Lower cases of stress and depression
According to a study conducted on more than 1,600 twin pairs, marriage is associated with a decrease in perceived stress and depressive symptoms. The researchers suggest that this could be due to the emotional support and advice readily available to married people, either from their partners or social circles, including the family (4). Also, Marriage comes with shared responsibilities and emotional fulfillment that take away a lot of stress experienced when living alone.
Did you know?6. Ideal environment to raise children
Marriage can give you the stability and confidence to raise a child. Children are largely the product of their influences, the most significant of which is their parents. That’s the primary reason children raised in a healthy marriage tend to have better social skills, academic performance, and overall development than children of unmarried or divorced parents.
Social Benefits Of Marriage
1. Lifestyle changes
Married couples tend to take on each other’s positive habits or mannerisms over time.
One of you might be more social, while the other person might be more reclusive and introverted. And one person might lead a more inactive life, while the other could be a fitness fanatic. Being in a marriage may help one find that perfect balance in between. It may also help one achieve personal growth.
2. Physical security
Knowing that you have a partner waiting for you at home while you are on your way home at night, or having your spouse pick up or drop you adds an extra layer of physical security.
3. Lesser incidence of crimes committed
While criminals can be anyone, regardless of social or marital status, studies show that individuals in marriages, particularly men, are far less prone to commit a violent crime than unmarried individuals.
The reasons could be the added pressure of not disappointing the family, more chances of getting caught, changes in everyday routine, increased societal pressure, etc (5).
4. Increased social capital
Social capital is a relatively new concept that is only being studied extensively now. It’s benefits, however, have been around since the beginning of marriages themselves.
Marriage tends to generate additional social capital for both parties and society at large. It provides both members of the marriage and any offspring with greater access to social and cultural resources, facilitates better integration amongst communities, and improves social interactions.
5. Prestige
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There is no denying that marriage facilitates social recognition. While it is completely normal in not being married or not marrying, there is definitely a sense of pride that couples feel when they formalize their romantic relationship through marriage.
It can reflect not only in society’s perception of the couple and how they are judged or treated, but also in more tangible benefits, such as club memberships, invitations to social events, etc.
Tax Benefits Of Marriage
Tax benefits are among the most commonly known perks of marriage and are among one of the main reasons why marriage is so important. And in cases where there is a significant gap in earnings due to one person working full time and the other being a homemaker, it can have a huge impact on the tax you pay.
1. Lower income tax
This might not apply in all situations, but it is still beneficial. If one person in the marriage earns considerably less than the other, the overall tax is taken as roughly a median of both your incomes. This means the overall amount you pay in federal or income tax is significantly lower. Also, if you are a married couple, you can strategically plan your finances to maximize tax savings. This can be done by adjusting your withholding allowances and using all the deductions available to joint filers.
2. Lower property/ residency tax
Depending on which bracket you fall into and the value of your property, you can file for the exclusion of income if the value of your home goes up. The amount you can include in this exclusion is doubled in the case of married couples.
There are a few requirements you need to meet. Both parties in the marriage have to own the property in question and should have resided there for a fixed period (typically 2-5 years).
3. Convenience while filing tax returns
Once married, couples are eligible to file a single tax return instead of two separate ones. Aside from the financial advantages, it is also convenient, as you need not fuss over who made a tax-deductible donationiContribution of funds, property, or goods that comes under income tax deduction. or paid the property taxes.
4. No gift tax
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Monetary gifts of a significant amount are subject to the gift tax. However, gifts exchanged between a married couple are exempted from tax up to any amount, provided you both are citizens of the country.
5. No estate tax
Estate tax essentially comes into play after one’s demise. If the assets or amount left to a person or institution in one’s will exceeds a certain amount, it is subject to estate tax. In the case of marriages, however, one can leave any amount they want to their spouse.
6. Increased access to benefits and deductions
Joint tax filingsiSubmission of taxable income and documents to the concerned government authorities. offer more potential for deductions and certain benefits. If your spouse is financially having a good year, while your business has operated at a loss, then that will be factored into your joint income tax return at the time of filing. Filing taxes together may even put you in a whole different (lower) tax bracket, thereby reducing your overall liability.
Do remember7. Both parties can have an IRA regardless of employment status
Typically, one has to be employed to be eligible to contribute to, and thus, receive benefits from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). In the case of married couples, however, both spouses are eligible for an IRA as long as one working spouse contributes to it.
Financial Benefits Of Being Married
Marriage is a big step for any relationship and not something you should enter into lightly
. When you do find the right person though, you can consider yourself extremely lucky. Not only do you get to take possibly the biggest step in your relationship, but you also get access to a lot of financial perks. As you plan for your future life as a married couple, it’s extremely important that you decide how to split the expenses and manage your finances. And if a couple has shared values and shared goals in money matters then life becomes a lot more smoother.As you do this, it’s important to keep some of these key benefits in mind.
8. Joint accounts
One of the first and most common things that newly married couples do is open a joint account. It allows them to jointly manage household expenses and ensures that conflict does not arise from their individual contributions. Teamwork is essential to manage money in a marriage.
Since both parties have equal access to the account and it is completely transparent, it goes a long way in building trust and loyalty, in the partnership.
9. Combined credit score
Married couples are eligible to take out loans based on their combined credit score, thus enabling them to be eligible for more lucrative loans. This can particularly be beneficial if both your credit scores aren’t that great or if one of you has a low credit ratingiAn evaluation of credit worthiness of an individual or entity based on their previous credit and repayment history. .
10. Advantages of mortgages
Married couples effectively have two sources of household income if both of them are working. Proven patterns of paying their bills on time and a decent credit score can result in them getting access to better mortgage deals than they would be able to individually.
Mortgage lenders generally prefer married couples because they have a higher incidence of paying the full amount of their mortgage and the associated interest than single homeowners.
11. Social Security payouts
In the unfortunate event of one’s spouse passing away, the surviving spouse is entitled to survivor benefits. This is particularly common in blue-collar jobsiA profession or job that primarily involves physical work or manual labor. and the military.
There are also circumstances apart from death where they can avail of social security payouts, such as if one’s spouse is disabled (especially if the incident is job-related) or is unable to work due to serious health issues. These typically require a minimum marriage threshold of a year or more.
12. Health insurance
Typically, couples tend to get a single plan for the whole family at some point. Until then, one can list their spouse as a dependent and allow them to avail of their health insurance plan if it provides better coverage, benefits, or costs. This can give the couple more flexibility with regards to which health insurance they want to avail and reduce the cost of maintaining it.
13. Private sector benefits
The financial benefits of marriage are not limited to the public sector and federal law alone. The private sector can also benefit many couples, depending on their workplace and policies.
Many firms now allow their employees’ spouses to enjoy certain benefits. These can be in the form of using the company car and gym, using their spouse’s employee discounts, using the firm’s onsite daycare center, or getting annual health checkups.
14. Low rent and cost of living
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While this is a no-brainer on the surface, the impact of this is often extremely understated. In cities with an extremely high cost of living, such as New York, Mumbai, or Seoul, living with your spouse can reduce expenses drastically than if you were living on your own. Everything from rent to groceries, broadband connections to cable/Netflix subscriptions can make a significant impact on your monthly expenditure.
Legal Benefits Of Marriage
The law sees marriage as the highest form of a relationship. Thus, there are legal benefits that only married people have access to in the event of an emergency or other situations.
1. Emergency room benefits
In the event of an accident or critical medical problem, medical staff typically do not allow friends, roommates, or anyone to accompany the patient in the ambulance or be present in the emergency room or ICU. A spouse is typically exempt from these in most situations. Also, when you are married to your partner, you have the legal right to make medical decisions on their behalf when they are incapacitated. This is to ensure their wishes are respected during a critical situation or emergency.
2. Right to sue someone on the deceased’s behalf
If there is potential willful wrongdoing, the surviving spouse can sue an individual or entity for wrongful death. This is particularly common in blue-collar industries or in jobs that involve immense physical involvement and risks.
3. Right to determine last rites and funeral
Unless expressly stated in the deceased party’s will and last testament, the surviving spouse has full legal rights to determine the last rites and funeral arrangements.
Decisions such as whether to cremate or bury and in some cases, even sign off on organ or retina donation, can be taken by the spouse.
4. Inheritance
Not only is the surviving spouse exempt from the liability of estate or inheritance tax, but they are also the default inheritor if the spouse passes away without making a valid legal will and testament.
Did you know?5. Prenuptial agreement
A couple can agree to a prenuptial agreement at the time of their marriage or formalize it later. This essentially guarantees a fair and judicial division of assets should the marriage end.
6. Family leave
This can manifest in many forms, most common of which are maternity/paternity leave, caretaker leave if your spouse is sick, and bereavement leave in the unfortunate event a family member passes away.
Benefits of Common Law Marriage
A common law marriage is one in which two people enter into a legally recognized marriage with very little or no civil or religious ceremony or other formalities.
1. No grand ceremony
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Many people firmly believe in the institution of marriage and being married but do not want the whole fuss and ceremonial aspect of the marriage itself. So, in the case of a common law marriage, while they are legally married and enjoy the benefits of marriage, they don’t necessarily have to throw a grand wedding.
2. Ability to maintain a secular marriage
For couples of different backgrounds, religions, or cultures, common law marriage provides a more stable environment since the religious, social, and traditional burdens associated with a typical marriage are absent. This is particularly beneficial for couples who want to be married while maintaining a relatively low social profile.
3. Privacy
Perhaps the most common reason couples opt for a common law marriage is the fact that only the two people getting married need to even know about the marriage in the first place. This is extremely advantageous for people who want to get married in secret, maintain their privacy, and not make a big show of their marriage and status as a couple.
4. Security
Couples of same-sex marriage or an interfaith marriage are often persecuted by individuals or groups for the nature of their relationship. In several countries, there is a high crime rate against LGBTQiAn acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer. people or hate crimes and honor killingsiMurder of a person (typically a female) by their family members as an act intended to protect the family’s honor. against people in interfaith marriages. Common law marriage, thus, provides some layer of security.
5. Basic benefits of marriage
People in common-law marriages are eligible for all the benefits that couples in “traditional” marriages receive.
These include healthcare coverage, tax deductions, and hospital/ER visitation privileges. These can also extend to eligibility for better mortgage agreements, loans, and improved credit scores.
6. Child custody
A child from a common law marriage is equally protected under all the aspects of child custody that apply to children of traditional marriage. In the event of the death of a parent, custody is usually passed on to the surviving party in marriage unless there is a good legal reason otherwise, such as proven history of abuse, criminal record, and drug abuse.
7. Division of assets
In the event a common law marriage ends, a prenuptial contractiA legal property contract made between two people before marriage. helps fairly divide the shared assets as per their roles and contributions in the marriage. This is applied the same way it would for any marriage, without discrimination and with the focus being on the equitable and fair distribution of assets and income.
While marriage is not the only prerequisite for reaping the benefits mentioned above, one has to admit that it’s becomes a lot easier when you have your partner with you through it all, the good times and the bad times.
Marriage Vs Domestic Partnership
Entering into a domestic partnership can offer benefits that are similar to those enjoyed by married couples. Even after the similarities, there remain some notable differences between the two. While marriages have more advantages and legal protections, domestic partnerships have to face certain limitations.
Domestic partners are not legally tied, and may not be able to call themselves family. They might not even have the legal rights to adopt or own a house in case they wish to. Even if a partner dies, the other partner cannot claim any inheritance since they are not legally married and live as domestic partners. Irrespective of the benefits and limitations, the choice of being domestic partners or married is yours.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why is marriage important to society?
Since a family is the building block of society, it is considered essential for its functioning. However, marriage should not be used as a criterion to determine a person’s worth or contribution to society.
2. Is it better to be married or single?
Many social scientists agree that married people do better in several spheres of life, including health, happiness, and prosperity (6). However, the decision to get married should be taken by an individual based on their circumstances and interests.
3. How does marriage contribute to stability in society?
Marriage establishes a framework for commitment, emotional support, and the formation of families. It provides a foundation for individuals to build their lives upon, which helps create a sense of security and permanence. Through marriage, couples share responsibilities and navigate life’s challenges, fostering stability in their relationship and the broader community. Mitch Massman, a blogger and husband, shares how being married has been the greatest thing in his life. He says, “What I am saying, is that being married has allowed me to be the best version of myself. It has allowed me and my wife to have someone to lean on in the most trying moments in our young lives.
My wife and I are constantly supporting each other’s careers. Encouraging each other even when the unknown is terrifying. Always looking for ways to help each other become better professionals and humans (i).”
4. Who benefits the most from marriage?
Marriage offers emotional support, companionship, and security that benefits both the individuals involved in the relationship. Research shows that married people often enjoy better mental and physical health, a longer life expectancy, and more satisfaction in general than single people (7).
5. What are the legal rights of married couples?
After marriage, couples have the right to resolve issues about their interests independently. Any property they acquire after marriage, even if one partner has not contributed to its purchase, is considered a common joint property (10). Besides this, spouses have rights to employment assistance, immigration sponsorship, Medicaid, veteran’s disability, and property and income tax deductions. They also have joint parenting rights, next-of-kin rights for emergency medical decisions, custody rights to children, child support, and alimony, among other things.
There are multiple benefits of marriage, such as general, social, financial, and legal benefits. The general ones include improved overall health, increased life expectancy, happiness, and lower stress levels. While reduced income tax, property tax, and no gift tax are some of the tax benefits, the financial advantages of being in wedlock are health insurance, a joint bank account, and a lower cost of living. Apart from these, there are also various legal benefits. Most importantly, marriage gives you a sense of psychological fulfillment that enhances your overall quality of life.
Infographic: Movies Based On Theme Of Marriage
Marriages are considered to be made in heaven, and cinema has often reinforced this belief. Many films shed light on the importance of marriage in one’s life. The infographic below brings you a few instances where the story revolves around marriage and its accompanying pains and pleasures. Illustration: Momjunction Design Team
Illustration: Legal Financial And Social Benefits Of Marriage
Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team
Let’s explore the pros and cons of marriage – is it right for you? We’ll discuss the good and the bad to help you make an informed decision.
Personal Experience: Source
MomJunction articles include first-hand experiences to provide you with better insights through real-life narratives. Here are the sources of personal accounts referenced in this article.
i. Being married is the greatest thing in my life;https://moochmassman.medium.com/being-married-is-the-greatest-thing-in-my-life-29359763dfd2
References
1. Robert M Kaplan and Richard G Kronick; Marital status and longevity in the United States population; J Epidemiol Community Health (2006).
2. Marriage could improve heart attack survival and reduce hospital stay; American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
3. Wendy M. Troxel, et al.; Marital/Cohabitation Status and History in Relation to Sleep in Midlife Women; Sleep (2010).
4. Christopher R. Beam, et al.; A Twin Study on Perceived Stress, Depressive Symptoms, and Marriage; J Health Soc Behav. (2017).
5. Robert J. Sampson, John H. Laub, and Christopher Wimer; DOES MARRIAGE REDUCE CRIME? A COUNTERFACTUAL APPROACH TO WITHIN-INDIVIDUAL CAUSAL EFFECTS; Harvard University
6. Why Marriage Is Good For You?; City Journal.
7. Patricia A Thomas, Hui Liu, and Debra Umberson;. Family Relationships and Well-Being; National Institute of Health (2017)
8. Marriage and mental health among young adults; NCBI
9. What are marriage penalties and bonuses?; Taxpolicycenter.org
10. Marriage and Family Code Chapter 5: Rights and Obligations of the Spouses; Cornell Law
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