BOOK REVIEW
I … Do? Why Marriage Still Matters
by Andrea Mrozek and Peter Jon Mitchell
Cascade Books; Nov. 11, 2024, 136 pages, $29.35 CDN
We are deluged with statistical reminders that in today’s version of western culture, marriage is declining, fertility rates are at a recorded low, couples wait longer before having their first child, large families are rare, and the average wage in our supposedly advanced culture is not designed to support a family. A book reminding us that marriage still matters is indeed a light shining in the darkness.
American and Canadian statistics reveal that liberation from traditional moral norms has led to unexpected existential social consequences. The authors note that marriage as a child-centred and future-centred institution is being replaced by short term soulmate-type relationships. The results are not encouraging.
The Marriage Advantage
The chapter on the Marriage Advantage demonstrates the benefits of marriage, especially for children. Based on established studies the authors observe that “the married-parent family is the gold standard for child-rearing.” The extent to which public debate sidesteps such basic knowledge is one of the social scandals of our time.
Seldom noticed in public discourse is the fact that married men are generally happier and have better economic outcomes than unmarried men. Studies show that the decline of marriage, a basic social good, is accompanied by other declines, such as fatherhood, care for the mother and child, and happiness itself.
The authors quote a study from the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, which found that “one of the most consistent findings in psychiatric epidemiology is that married persons enjoy better health than the unmarried”, with “the highest rates of mental disorder among the divorced and separated, the lowest rates among the married, and intermediate rates for the single and widowed.”
American statistics reported by Pew Research record that “The vast majority of women who had abortions in 2021 were unmarried (87 percent), while married women accounted for 13 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which had data from 37 states.” Thus, marriage is a protector of children before birth. It is no surprise that decreased protection for the unborn coincides with a decline in marriage.
No Shortage of Socio-scientific Research
A great preoccupation of our time is financial wellbeing. The book helps us navigate the plethora of U.S. statistics on this matter: married men make 10 to 40 percent more income than unmarried men, married couples that have never cohabited had the highest net worth compared to other couplings, the married are more likely to enrich their communities by volunteering and performing their civic duties.
The authors deftly counter hostility to marriage from special interest ideologies such as feminism. While early feminists were family oriented, the book acknowledges that today’s Marxist feminism is hostile to marriage and family. Characterized by mutual interdependence, marriage irks those whose aim is to remake society based on a break from family traditions.
Paul Nathanson, Faculty of Religious Studies, McGill University, who opposed the Canadian legislative redefinition of marriage in 2003 to include same-sex couples, states the following: “Discrimination to maintain marriage as it has long been identified should be allowed in view of the fact that marriage, as a universal institution and the essential cultural complement of biology, is prior to all concepts of law.” He warns that “…redefining marriage would amount to a massive human experiment.” As with other modern interventions into natural family life, statistics reveal the harmful social consequences of this experimentation.
False Concept that Marriage is Out of Date
Some philosophical considerations are covered in the chapter on marriage as an “Ancient Institution.” The concept of evolution which permeates the social sciences appears to be hitting the reality that we are witnessing a reverse evolution, or revolution, with false progress activists dismembering one marriage protection law after another. Will the social sciences be relegated to merely recording the decline of the west while the Christian legislative bulwark protecting marriage and family is systematically decimated? Or will their findings motivate action to dismantle an ubiquitous sexual revolution based on birth prevention, and replace it with a more forward-looking focus on marriage and procreation? Some practical suggestions are presented and are awaiting implementation. As helpful as statistics are to show the way, they are limited and leave many unanswered questions.
The authors remind us: “No government program, charity, or even great friendships can completely replicate the function of a healthy, stable family … few policymakers are willing to consider or publicly acknowledge the problem of declining marriage and family.”
In a final section, the book is enhanced by personal reflections from Candice Malcolm, Founder and CEO of Juno News, and Lyman Stone, Senior Fellow and Director of the Pronatalism Initiative, a format which is very effective in adding real life support to scientific tabulation.
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Notes:
“I…Do? Why Marriage Still Matters” reports and comments on American and Canadian studies and statistics related to marriage. The bibliography spans thirteen pages and provides a handy compendium of relevant publications on marriage and surrounding social issues.
The cultural, social, educational, economic and health benefits of marriage are amply documented. These facts are easily available to policy influencers and governments, yet the authors note that public reflection and conversation on marriage have hardly begun.