I benefici sociali ed economici del matrimonio -  26 febbraio, 2013 - http://www.uccronline.it

Il matrimonio ha effetti positivi per l’intera società, sopratutto dal punto di vista dei benefici per la salute sociale ed economici.  

Lo riporta un articolo comparso su Heritage, citando una serie di studi recenti. Le famiglie sposate, ad esempio, tendono ad avere  una migliore salute finanziaria, maggiori risparmi e una maggiore mobilità sociale rispetto alle famiglie non sposate. Le coppie sposate tendono anche ad avere un reddito medio più elevato e una maggiore probabilità di possedere case di proprietà rispetto a famiglie con adulti non sposati.

Sposarsi può altre sì avere un  effetto profondamente positivo  sul benessere psicologico, lo stess e l’abitudine al fumo. Il matrimonio è anche associato a  tassi di mortalità più bassi .

I bambini che crescono in famiglie formate da una coppia di coniugi sposati hanno una maggiore probabilità di andare incontro a stabilità economica, elevato rendimento scolastico e maturità emotiva. Adolescenti cresciuti in queste famiglie presentano meno probabilità di essere sessualmente attivi  e meno probabilità di abusare di droghe e/o alcool, mostrano inoltre comportamenti sociali migliori e partecipano meno a crimini violenti. 

Purtroppo per la società i legami matrimoniali sono sempre meno, e sempre meno persone godono di questi vantaggi personali e sociali, preferendo le instabili e disimpegnate relazioni di convivenza. 

Family Fact of the Week: Celebrate Marriage’s Many Benefits This Valentine’s Day
Sarah TorreFebruary 14, 2013 
 

Photo credit: Ken Weingart Stock Connection Worldwide/Newscom

Married couples across the country will commemorate St. Valentine’s Day today by exchanging cards and flowers and raising a glass to love. But marriage also provides a host of social, economic, and even health benefits.
As research on Heritage’s FamilyFacts.org demonstrates, married families tend to have better financial health, increased savings, and greater social mobility than unmarried households. Married couples also tend to have a higher average income, more assets, and a greater likelihood of owning their own homes than families led by single adults.
Tying the knot can likewise have a profoundly positive effect on men’s and women’s psychological well-being, stress levels, and smoking habits. Marriage is even associated with lower mortality rates.
Children raised in families headed by a married couple have a greater chance of experiencing economic stability, high academic performance, and emotional maturity. Teens from intact, married families are less likely to be sexually active and also less likely to abuse drugs and/or alcohol, exhibit poor social behaviors, or participate in violent crimes. Consistent parental involvement, especially from fathers, is also related to decreased likelihood of teen pregnancy.
Sadly, fewer Americans are experiencing these personal and social benefits of marriage as the nation’s marriage rate continues to decline and more men and women exchange the commitment of matrimony for the loose bonds of cohabitation.
The many benefits of marriage are arguably being lost on the very people who need marriage’s financial and emotional stability the most. With more than four out of every 10 children born outside of marriage, millions of children are being left at risk of experiencing the financial and social challenges facing single-parent households.
The same children (and their parents) are also more likely to need government financial assistance. Of the more than $450 billion spent on means-tested welfare for low-income families with children, roughly three-quarters goes to households led by single parents.
Just as the greatest Valentine’s Day gift is not the most expensive diamond or the richest three-course meal, the greatest gift of compassion and justice for poor families is not more money and federal handouts. It is the opportunity to learn about the emotional, social, and economic advantages of marriage and to potentially share in the promises of lifelong, married love.
Rather than continue a cycle of dependence with streams of anonymous government checks, policymakers can take steps to remove disincentives to marriage and demonstrate how healthy marital relationships can lead to self-sufficiency.