to protect their economic futures (with separate bank accounts,
for example), married couples are better off financially. Married
couples monitor each other's spendingan example of lower
independence as compared to cohabitors-but marrieds usually
monitor each other in a way that emphasizes "our spending
plan" or budget. For most marrieds, "Your money is my
money." According to Waite and Gallagher, "This financial
union is one of the cornerstones (along with sexual union) of
what Americans mean by marriage."
Fifth, married men earn more than single men (nearly twice as
much) and married women have access to more of men's
earnings than if they are single or cohabiting. This may be
explained by the increased financial responsibility men feel
when they marry many men have been heard to say, "Marriage
made me get more serious about my career and making a good
living."
Financially, cohabitors live more like single parents than like
married couples. Cohabitors are more likely to control their own
finances than to work as a close team, helping each other meet
their financial and career goals. Married women also benefit in
some aspects of their careers. Many women get a slight earnings
boost from marriage. Childless married women make 4-10
percent more than childless single women. Also, many married
women report receivi