Rich Men With Extreme Politics Have the Happiest Marriages
By Ben Steverman
People are being pickier about who they marry and waiting longer to tie the knot. And with half of marriages ending in divorce, it’s gotten a lot easier to exit unpleasant unions. So, the state of the American marriage should be happier than ever, right?
Instead, the quality of American marriages has dropped significantly. While most Americans say they’re still “very happy” in their marriages, the number is down from the early 1970s, from 68 percent to 60 percent.
What’s souring American marriages? University of Maryland sociology professor Philip Cohen looked for clues by analyzing which Americans are happiest in their marriages. He used the most recent few rounds of the General Social Survey, a long-running study of Americans’ views and behaviors collected mostly through face-to-face interviews.
More men say they’re happier with their marriages than women do, for example. That’s consistent with other research suggesting that men tend to get more out of being married than women. Not surprisingly, religiosity — which usually emphasizes family and fidelity — also appears to play a role in marital happiness.
