Introduc)on In the couple therapy (e.g., Wade & Pevalin, 2004) and health psychology (e.g., Dupre & Meadows, 2007; Hughes & Waite, 1998) literatures, it is widely assumed that marriage is concurrently and prospectively correlated with numerous positive outcomes across diverse aspects of functioning including the physical/medical, psychiatric, and social realms. However, there is not yet consensus as to whether the apparent benefits of marriage are equivalent among men and women. For men, there is considerable evidence that being married is salutary and appears to promote: -Increased frequency of sex (Waite, 1995) -Reduced negative health behaviors (e.g., alcoholism, substance abuse etc.) (Tenorio & Lo, 2011) -Decreased risk of depression (Leach, Butterworth, Olsen, & Mackinnon, 2013) -Increased feelings of well-being/happiness (Leach, Butterworth, Olsen, & Mackinnon, 2013) -Increased life expectancy (Ross & Mirowsky, 2002) Conversely, the impact of marriage on women is less well understood and potentially more complex than it is for men. Continuously changing gender roles, the academic, professional, and financial achievement of women in recent decades, and divergent perspectives on self-worth and self-esteem among women continue to subvert social conventions yet also exist in the context of the stability of women’s maternal capacity. How women love and are influenced by marriage amidst this maelstrom is an important issue with considerable social and psychological implications. Purpose The purpose of this abbreviated review of the literature was to examine the relationship among women between marital status and physical, psychological, psychiatric and social factors. Method Empirical studies conducted within the last five (2008 to 2013) years comparing married to non-married women on psychological, psychiatric, social and/or physical variables were targeted for this review. The terms “marital status” and “gender” were initially used in a search engine tool, resulting in 249 empirical studies. Abstracts of these studies were then reviewed to garner investigations that compared married vs. non-married women in the data analyses. This process yielded 19 studies that were included in this review. Key findings, methodological strategies, sample characteristics and researcher inferences were itemized and assessed. Discussion Despite the methodological weaknesses noted in the studies reviewed, our evaluation suggested that being a wife may enhance a woman’s life in numerous ways. The benefits of marriage for women appear to be largely mediated by the quality of the marital relationship more so than any other variable, with the degree of support and collaboration between partners emerging as the most salient feature of the marital bond. Perhaps the most important finding of this review, however, was that nearly 38% of the studies assessed failed to report positive effects of marriage among women. Moreover, for some women the positive effects of marriage diminished over time. Thus, being a wife may not necessarily mean having a better life! In fact, marriage may not be optimally beneficial for a significant number of women whose marital lack companionship and mutual support. While an especially supportive marital relationship may promote a woman’s capacity to obtain various gains that perhaps would have not been available to her otherwise, an average or poor marriage may have substantially adverse effects, even more so than if the woman had not married. Dena Schulze and James Tobin, Ph.D. American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California Results Our review of the literature produced four main findings: (1) Of the studies reviewed, 62.1% provided evidence that marriage among women was associated with a range of positive outcomes including: -more positive mood states (less depression) -increased levels of social support -reduced likelihood of hypertension -higher income (#2) A subset of studies (10.5%) found that these outcomes dissipated over time. (#3) Nearly one-third of the studies indicated that the quality of the marital relationship (i.e., companionship, support, and collaborative co-parenting) corresponded more strongly to positive outcomes among married women than marital status per se (#4) The methodological sophistication of the studies reviewed varied widely. Problematic issues included a preponderance of cross-sectional vs. longitudinal data, the common failure to characterize different categories of unmarried women, relatively few attempts at utilizing both self-report and objective measures, and the lack of a synthesis/accruement of outcome variables
Does Being a Wife Mean a Better Life? A Critical Review of the Evidence
May 14, 2015
Research has shown that, for men, being married is associated with physical, psychological and social benefits. However, the impact of marriage is less well understood and potentially more complex for women. The purpose of this review of the literature is to examine the relationship between marital status and physical, psychological, psychiatric and social variables in women. Empirical studies conducted within the last 5 years comparing married to non-married women on psychological, psychiatric, social and/or physical variables were evaluated. Main findings, methodological strategies, sample characteristics, and researcher inferences were itemized and assessed for the emergence of robust patterns.
The main finding of our review was that 62.1% of the studies examined provided evidence that marriage in women is associated with psychiatric (levels of depression and anxiety), physical (healthier blood pressure), social (increased support from friends and family members, including one’s marital partner), and financial (higher income) advantages, as indicated by correlational and between-group analyses. A second finding was that several studies (10.5%) suggested the duration of these advantages may dissipate over time. Thirdly, the quality of the martial relationship as perceived by wives proved to be more highly linked with positive concurrent factors rather than marital status per se. A fourth finding was that methodologies varied widely in the studies assessed. Less than 50% of the investigations used longitudinal designs, very few integrated female subjects’ self-report with objective ratings, and female non-married groups often included singles, cohabitators, widowed and divorced, thus obfuscating the presumably heterogeneous characteristics and underlying predispositions of these marital status categories.
Our evaluation of the recent literature indicates that being a wife may potentially enhance a woman’s life in numerous ways. However, being a wife does not necessary mean a better life! The benefits of marriage for women appear to be largely mediated by the quality of the marital relationship more so than any other variable. Our analysis revealed that within marriage the underlying conditions of (1) companionship, (2) spousal support, and (3) collaborative co-parenting potentiate the wellbeing of women across the lifespan, while a distressed relationship tends to obstruct these available benefits.
The main finding of our review was that 62.1% of the studies examined provided evidence that marriage in women is associated with psychiatric (levels of depression and anxiety), physical (healthier blood pressure), social (increased support from friends and family members, including one’s marital partner), and financial (higher income) advantages, as indicated by correlational and between-group analyses. A second finding was that several studies (10.5%) suggested the duration of these advantages may dissipate over time. Thirdly, the quality of the martial relationship as perceived by wives proved to be more highly linked with positive concurrent factors rather than marital status per se. A fourth finding was that methodologies varied widely in the studies assessed. Less than 50% of the investigations used longitudinal designs, very few integrated female subjects’ self-report with objective ratings, and female non-married groups often included singles, cohabitators, widowed and divorced, thus obfuscating the presumably heterogeneous characteristics and underlying predispositions of these marital status categories.
Our evaluation of the recent literature indicates that being a wife may potentially enhance a woman’s life in numerous ways. However, being a wife does not necessary mean a better life! The benefits of marriage for women appear to be largely mediated by the quality of the marital relationship more so than any other variable. Our analysis revealed that within marriage the underlying conditions of (1) companionship, (2) spousal support, and (3) collaborative co-parenting potentiate the wellbeing of women across the lifespan, while a distressed relationship tends to obstruct these available benefits.
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Introduc)on In the couple therapy (e.g., Wade & Pevalin, 2004) and health psychology (e.g., Dupre & Meadows, 2007; Hughes & Waite, 1998) literatures, it is widely assumed that marriage is concurrently and prospectively correlated with numerous positive outcomes across diverse aspects of functioning including the physical/medical, psychiatric, and social realms. However, there is not yet consensus as to whether the apparent benefits of marriage are equivalent among men and women. For men, there is considerable evidence that being married is salutary and appears to promote: -Increased frequency of sex (Waite, 1995) -Reduced negative health behaviors (e.g., alcoholism, substance abuse etc.) (Tenorio & Lo, 2011) -Decreased risk of depression (Leach, Butterworth, Olsen, & Mackinnon, 2013) -Increased feelings of well-being/happiness (Leach, Butterworth, Olsen, & Mackinnon, 2013) -Increased life expectancy (Ross & Mirowsky, 2002) Conversely, the impact of marriage on women is less well understood and potentially more complex than it is for men. Continuously changing gender roles, the academic, professional, and financial achievement of women in recent decades, and divergent perspectives on self-worth and self-esteem among women continue to subvert social conventions yet also exist in the context of the stability of women’s maternal capacity. How women love and are influenced by marriage amidst this maelstrom is an important issue with considerable social and psychological implications.
Purpose !The purpose of this abbreviated review of the literature was to examine the relationship among women between marital status and physical, psychological, psychiatric and social factors.
Method ! ! ! ! !!
Empirical studies conducted within the last five (2008 to 2013) years comparing married to non-married women on psychological, psychiatric, social and/or physical variables were targeted for this review. The terms “marital status” and “gender” were initially used in a search engine tool, resulting in 249 empirical studies. Abstracts of these studies were then reviewed to garner investigations that compared married vs. non-married women in the data analyses. This process yielded 19 studies that were included in this review. Key findings, methodological strategies, sample characteristics and researcher inferences were itemized and assessed.
Discussion !Despite the methodological weaknesses noted in the studies reviewed, our evaluation suggested that being a wife may enhance a woman’s life in numerous ways. The benefits of marriage for women appear to be largely mediated by the quality of the marital relationship more so than any other variable, with the degree of support and collaboration between partners emerging as the most salient feature of the marital bond. Perhaps the most important finding of this review, however, was that nearly 38% of the studies assessed failed to report positive effects of marriage among women. Moreover, for some women the positive effects of marriage diminished over time. Thus, being a wife may not necessarily mean having a better life! In fact, marriage may not be optimally beneficial for a significant number of women whose marital lack companionship and mutual support. While an especially supportive marital relationship may promote a woman’s capacity to obtain various gains that perhaps would have not been available to her otherwise, an average or poor marriage may have substantially adverse effects, even more so than if the woman had not married.
w Dena Schulze and James Tobin, Ph.D. w w American School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University | Southern California w
Results! ! ! ! ! ! !!!Our review of the literature produced four main findings: (1) Of the studies reviewed, 62.1% provided evidence that marriage among women was associated with a range of positive outcomes including: -more positive mood states (less depression) -increased levels of social support -reduced likelihood of hypertension -higher income
(#2) A subset of studies (10.5%) found that these outcomes dissipated over time. (#3) Nearly one-third of the studies indicated that the quality of the marital relationship (i.e., companionship, support, and collaborative co-parenting) corresponded more strongly to positive outcomes among married women than marital status per se (#4) The methodological sophistication of the studies reviewed varied widely. Problematic issues included a preponderance of cross-sectional vs. longitudinal data, the common failure to characterize different categories of unmarried women, relatively few attempts at utilizing both self-report and objective measures, and the lack of a synthesis/accruement of outcome variables !!!
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