Quiz: Does Marriage Really Matter?

Many people who are or have been married think they know everything about relationships. That flawed thinking leads to a feeling that the longer you've been married the more you know about relationships and how to fix them. That's why many people are so willing to give their great advice to any couple contemplating marriage.

Just because we've had a TV for 20 years doesn't mean that we know how to fix it. Likewise, being in a relationship for 20 years doesn't necessarily mean that we know how relationships work. In an effort to uncover your understanding about relationships, take a shot at answering the following questions on our Marriage Quiz. Your score may surprise you.

1. When parents don't get along, children are better off if their parents divorce than if they stay together.
     

2. Statistically speaking, couples that are married are happier than those that are unmarried.
     

3. Marital problems tend to affect a man's productivity at work more than they do a women's productivity.
     

4. Living with your partner prior to marriage significantly decreases problems and the risk of problems in the marriage.
     

5. Younger people in the United States who are marrying for the first time face a better chance statistically for happier marriages than those who were married 20 years ago.
     

6. Sex is the number one issue that married couples fight about.
     

7. Single people (even separated or divorced) are more likely to be active and healthier than married people.
     

8. On average, men who are married earn more than those who are single.
     

9. Married couples have a less satisfying sex life, and less sex, than single couples.
     

10. Having children typically brings a married couple closer together and increases marital happiness.
     

11. Single women are at a lower risk of domestic violence than married women are.
     

12. Most people who choose to get divorced have been unhappy in their marriage for an average of 5 or more years.
     

13. Marriage is an old fashioned idea; couples just aren't doing it as much anymore.
     

14. Being very unhappy at certain points in a marriage is a good sign that the marriage will eventually end in divorce.