Kishnee Theus from Western Michigan University, Thomas M. Cooley Law School submitted a fine essay in consideration of our Legal Scholarship Essay Competition. Unfortunately, not everyone wins, however Kishnee does get an honorable mention. Thank you Kishnee!
For information on participating in Brandon Legal Group’s $1,000 Scholarship, click here.
Why is marriage important to our society? What are the benefits?
History
Marriage is an institution which was established in ancient times and is presently recognized as a legal or formal union between two people. In ancient societies, marriage was created to “secure a safe environment in order to breed, handle the granting of property rights, and protect bloodlines.” (UKTV). In ancient times, couples married as a means to keep alliances within the family and their union was based mainly on economic and political advancement; love had very little to do with marriage until recently.
During the Colonial Era in America, marriage was viewed as a business transaction. Women became the property of their husbands and because the life expectancy of a colonial was relatively short, marriage produced legitimate heirs to property and money. In addition, a husband’s role was to provide food, shelter, clothing, and financial support to his family while the wife’s role was to maintain the home and care for their children.
However, as America evolved and women’s rights became apparent, the institution of marriage also evolved. The 20th century sparked the notion of romantic marriage and both men and women sought to benefit financially, emotionally and spiritually from their union. The institution of marriage remains of great importance to our society and provides both financial and legal benefits as well as responsibilities to both partners.
The Importance of Marriage
Marriage is a formal contractual agreement intended to dissuade the separation of the parties involved to preserve the family unit, morals, and civilization. In our society, marriage is viewed as the beginning of the family and is intended to be a life-long commitment. As such, the essence of marriage is to promote commitment, purity, and co-parenting.
The family is the most important societal unit and has been from the beginning of time. Preserving a healthy and peaceful family unit is deemed to create an aggregate effect on economy, poverty, and crimes because children who are raised by their married, biological parents have better physical, emotional, and academic well-being.
Moreover, recent statistics revealed that marriage reduces the probability of child poverty by 80 percent; and a child coming from an intact married home is 44 percent more likely to gain a college degree and earn an average of $4,000 more than a child who comes from a single-family household. (Williams, 2014).
Because of its positive social and economic impacts, marriage will thus remain one of the most important institutions in our society.
Benefits
Marriage also grants special rights and legal benefits between the parties involved. Upon marriage, a legal spouse will receive benefits:
tax benefits such as filing joint income tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service;
estate planning benefits where a spouse will inherit a share of their spouse’s estate and make financial and medical decisions on their spouse’s behalf;
government benefits such as receiving social security, Medicare, and disability benefits for their spouse and public assistance benefits;
employment benefits such as obtaining health insurance benefits through a spouse’s employer;
medical benefits such as making medical decisions on their spouse’s behalf if their spouse becomes incapacitated;
family benefits such as filing for joint adoption; and
other benefits such as wrongful death or loss of consortium claims for an injured or deceased spouse.
Aside from the legal benefits, research has proven that couples in a healthy and committed marriage live longer than single individuals. The primary reason may be because marriage solidifies a life-long partnership where each spouse can physically care for the other if one were to become ill, or encourage each other to make healthier and more positive health choices. Being in a healthy marriage provides an individual with an automatic support system and someone to confide in when making major life decisions. Marriage will, as a result, continue to be encouraged throughout our society and throughout the world.
