“We the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God…”
Traditional marriage between a man and a woman is the most commonly practiced type of marriage, and it is still strongly supported by large portions of the population, both religious and secular. I myself am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I believe in marriage between a man and a woman as outlined in The Family, A Proclamation To The World, which was issued by our prophet and apostles in 1995. Religious convictions aside, there is a large amount of secular, academic, clinical research available which supports the assertion that a traditional family unit provides the best chance for a healthy, stable, loving home. This, in turn, lays a foundation for lasting marriages/partnerships and for raising children who are likely to become successful, contributing members of societies. Now, before you shoot the messenger, don’t take my word for it. Check it out yourself (but, by all means, don’t just do a Google search and believe whatever pops up. That isn’t research.)
I also need to clarify at this point that, just because my personal beliefs fall within the traditional sector this doesn’t mean that I don’t fully recognize that there are successful exceptions to this ideal. Certainly, there are single parents who raise healthy, successful children. There are also cohabiting couples who never marry and whose children grow up to be wonderful contributors to society. And, yes, there are even many gay couples, either married or cohabiting, that raise wonderful families and have happy relationships. I’m not saying that traditional marriage is the only option that can and will work in every instance. What I am saying is that there is a large body of clinical research, conducted over the course of decades, which points to traditional marriage between a man and a woman, who are committed to each other, to the marriage, and to their children, as being the ideal family unit, statistically, for the greatest potential long-term success of the family. It appears that – just like certain organizational structures work better than others within organizations, or certain vehicles have a higher safety rating and track record than others, or certain buildings are more structurally sound and able to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes – traditional family structure is statistically proven to provide the best odds when it comes to weathering life’s challenges. Now, again, we must remember that success and happiness are not a given just because a man and a woman get married and have a family. There are many moving parts and many factors that must collectively be considered in order to achieve success.
What social scientists and their research (extensive academic research across multiple disciplines – decades long longitudinal research, cross-national surveys comparing countries, and data from economists, medical scientists, sociologists, etc.) says about traditional marriage:
- “A stable marriage [corresponds] with happiness, health, prosperity, and the well-being of offspring and communities” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 71).
- “Marriage fully merits the sacrifices required for lifelong commitment and, as a whole, rewards those who accept its boundaries” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 71).
- “Married couples, including wives, are far from oppressed” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 71).
- “Married adults are clearly healthier than their non-married counterparts” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 71).
- “Married people are generally happier…with greater life satisfaction, lower risk for depression, and greater economic stability, all contributing to better mental health” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 71).
- “Marriage reduces the risk of mental disorders for both men and women” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 72).
- “Committed couples hunker down and stay the course together [through life’s ups and downs]” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 72).
- “[According to economists], much of the financial instability of minorities living in poverty can be attributed to low levels of marriage and high levels of cohabitation and children born to unmarried mothers” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 73).
- “Two economists who studied a random sample of 16,000 men and women in the United States [established] that the greatest happiness comes in a monogamous marital relationship” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 73).
- A study conducted, with data collected on 18,000 adults in 17 countries, carefully controlling for sociodemographic differences, found that “in 16 of the 17 countries, the married displayed significantly higher levels of happiness than their single, divorced, or widowed counterparts” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 73).
- “Mutual commitment…is what distinguishes marriage from other relationships” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 74).
- “Marriage [is] a long-term investment with satisfaction levels going up and down over time” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 74).
- “Couples who live together before marriage have higher rates of divorce and lower levels of marital quality” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 75).
- “Children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of schools, and 20 times more likely to spend time in prison” (Successful Marriages and Families p. 76).
Every one of the above bullet points is based on documented, empirical evidence and research conducted by professionals. Whether conservative or liberal, religious or secular, pro- marriage or not, this body of evidence speaks for itself. Traditional marriage IS, in fact, a good thing, generally speaking.
FAMILY STRONG 