You probably already know that married people on the whole are healthier, wealthier and have more satisfying sex lives than singletons or divorced people. You also already know that, absent some serious conflict, your kids would probably prefer it if you stuck together. And even if you were to split, whoever you married next would probably have equally annoying habits as your current spouse. So herewith, five reasons to get or stay married you probably haven’t heard of.
5 New Reasons to Get (or Stay) Married this Year
According to an analysis of the student financial aid statistics released in December in the Journal of Family Issues, parents who are no longer together shoulder a smaller percentage of college costs than those who are. This is only partly a result of the shrinking effect divorce has on wealth; parents who marry someone else and increase their household income still allocate a smaller portion of that income to college costs. A student whose parents are divorced, according to this study, will have to pony up, on average about 58% of all the expenses of going to college. If her parents are remarried, she'll have to scrounge up 47% and if her parents are still together the figure drops to 23%. Plus, if the kid bankrupts herself with student loans, you know where she'll have to live after graduation, right? Next: Personality: Married Men Behave Better SPECIAL REPORT: See Healthland's Full Guide to Life in 2011