What is the Relationship of Marriage to Physical Health?

Decades of research suggest that a stable, marriage protects adult partners against premature death and illness, and provides children with the best physical health outcomes. The relationship of marriage to better health outcomes continues to be found in the most recent national health surveys and longitudinal studies. These studies indicate married adults live longer and enjoy better physical health than adults who are never married, divorced, separated or widowed. In fact, these benefits seem to persist even when factors that affect health outcomes, such as health status prior to marriage, income levels and race/ethnicity are taken into account (Johnson et al, 2000; Kaplan & Kronick, 2006; Lillard & Waite, 1995;; Wilson & Oswald, 2005; Wood, Goesling & Avellar, 2007). Also research suggests that married couples living in poverty have better physical health compared to their low-income peers who are unmarried, divorced, or widowed (Schoenborn, 2004). Research also indicates a man or woman’s marital status at age 48 – that is, whether married, divorced, widowed, or never married -strongly predicts their chances of either surviving to age 65 or dying prematurely. For example, as depicted in the charts below (Waite, 2005), divorced men have only a 65% chance of living to age 65, compared to a 90% chance for married men, and a never-married woman has an 80% chance of living to age 65, compared to a 95% chance for married women (Lillard & Waite, 1995, Waite, 1995).