Is Marriage Good For Men?
Is Marriage Good For Men?
Paul Pierce’s recent statement that marriage primarily benefits women and old and/or broke men has been a controversial opinion lately, sparking debate about the true nature of marriage. While some support his perspective, others believe marriage remains a valuable foundation for strong families and communities.
Is marriage a poor deal for men? Some vocal figures from both the political Left and Right suggest it is. Reactionary online influencers like Andrew Tate assert that there are “zero advantages to marriage in the Western world for a man,” claiming that statistically, there is no benefit. He warns young men, “If you use your mind instead of your heart, and you look at the advantages of getting married, there are absolutely none.” Tate’s anti-marriage stance is partly based on his belief that most marriages end in divorce for men, leading to significant financial and emotional costs. Based on conversations with teenage boys and young men across America, I can confirm that his views resonate with many.
Highlights:
• Unmarried men are much more likely to struggle, drift aimlessly, and face health issues or death.
• Men in our society today are drifting, despairing, unmoored, and unhappy. Marriage seems to reduce the incidence of male malaise.
• America needs more married men.
Conversely, on the left, intellectuals like Matt Bruenig, president of the People’s Policy Project, provide a different but equally dismissive perspective on marriage. They acknowledge that married men tend to flourish financially but argue that marriage itself holds no inherent value for men. They suggest the benefits associated with marriage are largely due to “selection effects,” meaning that certain types of men are more likely to succeed in life and marry, rather than marriage itself enhancing their financial wellbeing. In Bruenig’s words, “Marriage attracts and retains more economically secure and stable people, but it does not create them.” He contends that while marriage rewards successful men, it doesn’t increase the chances of success for ordinary men.
These criticisms of marriage come from two very different viewpoints but reflect broader skepticism about the institution from both the alt-right and the progressive left.
So, is it true? Does marriage offer “zero statistical advantage” for men today? Is marriage merely a trophy for already successful men, lacking intrinsic value?
Let’s analyze the social science regarding three key outcomes for men: money, happiness, and mortality.
Married Men Are Wealthier Men
The financial data is strong and clear. Stably married men — meaning those who have married and remained married — heading into retirement have approximately 10 times more household assets saved over their lifetime compared to divorced or never-married male peers. After adjusting for differences in education, race, and employment, the average marriage premium in household assets for stable married men amounts to over $290,000 more than that of their unmarried counterparts. This contradicts the idea of “zero statistical advantage.”
The narrative is similar for income. Even when accounting for household size, age, education, race, and ethnicity, married men earn 40 percent more than their unmarried peers. Furthermore, married men in their prime years are 55 percent less likely to live in poverty.
The question of selection effects, raised by Matt Bruenig, is an important one. While it does play a role, it does not explain the entire phenomenon. Research from twin studies supports this: one study indicates that married men earn about 26 percent more than their unmarried twin brothers. This suggests that marriage itself boosts men’s financial fortunes.
The social responsibility norms associated with marriage encourage men to work harder, smarter, and more responsibly. Research shows that married men tend to work longer hours and are less likely to be fired than their similarly qualified unmarried peers.
Married Men Are Happier Men
While money is significant, other factors like happiness are even more critical. So how does marriage correlate with men’s happiness? The evidence is again clear. Married men are about twice as likely to report being “very happy” with their lives when compared to unmarried men. Notably, married fathers fare especially well in this regard — nearly 60 percent report that their lives are meaningful “most of the time,” versus just 38 percent of single, childless peers, according to a 2021 survey by the Institute for Family Studies and Wheatley Institute.
This data suggests that not only do married men achieve greater financial success, but they also experience higher levels of happiness and fulfillment in life.
