Change and Consistency in the Relation of Marital Status to Personal Happiness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11220331 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gary R Lee (Bowling Green State University, corresponding author), Jennifer R Bulanda (0000-0002-3025-8980, Bowling Green State University) |
| Year | 2005 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 69-84 |
| Publication date | 2005-12-22 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Marriage & Family Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0149-4929 • E-ISSN: 1540-9635 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1300/j002v38n01_06 |
| OpenAlex | W2068827246 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 8 |
| References cited | 24 |
Several studies conducted in the late 1980s suggested that the effect of marital status on personal happiness was declining, meaning that the “happiness gap” between married and never-married persons was diminishing. Speculations about the causes of this diminishing positive effect of marriage ranged from changing values to the increasing role overload of married women. But there was some evidence that the decline in the “happiness gap” had reversed by the end of the 1980s. This paper uses General Social Survey data from 1972 through 2002 to show that this decline did indeed reverse, such that in recent years the difference in the happiness of married and never-married persons is as great as it has been since the inception of the GSS. Although women who are employed and/or have children in the home are slightly less happy than others, the positive effect of marriage on the happiness of these women is as strong as it has ever been
Consistency (knowledge bases · Demographic economics · Economics · General Social Survey · Happiness · Life satisfaction · Marital status · Meaning (existential · Population · Sociology · Demography · Employment and Welfare Studies · Health disparities and outcomes · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
Quality of Life and Psychological Health Indicators in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project
Using and Interpreting Mental Health Measures in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project
Spot-On or Stereotypical? A Social Relations Model of Life Satisfaction and Relationship Status Satisfaction Ratings Among Friends
The expanding class divide in happiness in the United States, 1972–2016
Marriage Advantage in Subjective Well-Being
Socioeconomic variation in the association of marriage with depressive symptoms
The Trajectory of Subjective Well-Being
How and Why Marriage is Related to Subjective Well-Being? Evidence from Chinese Society
Habits of the heart
American Family Decline, 1960-1990
The second shift
Becoming Married and Mental Health
Marital Status and Happiness
Marriage and Psychological Well-Being
Marital Status and Personal Happiness
The Changing Relationship of Marital Status to Reported Happiness
The Contribution of Marriage to the Psychological Well-Being of Males and Females
Marital Transitions, Marital Beliefs, and Mental Health
Is Anyone Doing the Housework? Trends in the Gender Division of Household Labor
Does Marriage Have Positive Effects on the Psychological Well-Being of the Individual
Marital Status Continuity and Change Among Young and Midlife Adults
The Effect of Marriage on the Well-Being of Adults
Sex Role Ideology, Marital Status, and Happiness
Gender, Marriage, and Psychosocial Well-Being
The Relationship Between Marriage and Psychological Well-being
Union Formation and Depression
Explaining the Decline in Women's Household Labor
The Effects of Marital and Nonmarital Union Transition on Health
Families Formed Outside of Marriage
Revisiting the Relationships among Gender, Marital Status, and Mental Health
| Unique citing works | 8 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,47 |
| Citation span | 2009 - 2026 (18) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |