Statistics: More Men Amore' Marriage

USA today has a short article about a very long statistical report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Men are more likely than women to prefer marriage over lifelong singlehood and in many ways are as interested in serious family relationships as women, according to a study that provides the government's first comprehensive glimpse into the male psyche.

...

For example, to the statement "It is better to get married than go through life single," 66% of men agreed, compared with 51% of women.

To the statement "It is more important for a man to spend a lot of time with his family than be successful at his career," 76% of men and 72% of women agreed.

"When asked about their attitudes about marriage and family and divorce, more men agree on the relationship of marriage," says Gladys Martinez, the study's lead author. "The majority agree it is better to get married, and few people agree that divorce is best."

This statistically confirms what I've known anecdotally for a long time: The stereotype about men being swinging bachelors that dread marriage is bunk. It is women who tend to delay or devalue marriage, usually in favor of personal independence, and for middle class women, because they want to establish their career before they "settle."

Keep in mind that 98% of all Americans will marry at least once at some point in their lives. So its not a matter of if men or women will marry, just the timing of their marriages and the likelihood of divorce.

Since its my job to understand stuff like this, I'll be reading through the insanely long report, and I'll blog anything I find particularly interesting