Abstract

        The chief aim of this study is to provide estimates that contrast the married, common-law, widowed and separated and divorced populations of Canada. The motivation is the recognition that there is very little data contrasting the overall health of these marital statuses, though much is needed for good and wise decisions at all levels.

        We assume that what the data reveal about marriage versus common-law relationships applies with equal or greater force to the contrast between persons in marriage versus homosexual relationships. Even more important than some rights of some individuals is their overall health, happiness and well-being, the focus of this study.

        Most behaviours that are regarded as unhealthy for one's physical health are much more common among the common-law population than among the married: for example, smoking, intoxication, consumption of illicit drugs, coping with stress by smoking or drinking, drinking more than intended, or to the extent of risking one's health.

        In total, 38 indicators point to the married being emotionally healthier than the common-law population, while 11 suggest the reverse. The over-all job quality assessments, "not satisfied at all with job", and "extreme work stress" favour the married.

        Important overall indicators of well-being favour the married over the common-law populations, for example, "very satisfied with life in general", "almost always felt at peace last month", "very strong belonging to locality", "no important day-to-day stress", "has seriously considered suicide" and "has attempted suicide".

        All 17 spiritual health indicators and all nine financial health indicators are significantly higher for the married than the common-law populations.

        The regression results for the married and common-law populations support, or at least do not reject, our two main hypotheses, that education and worship are associated, while marijuana smoking is negatively associated, with a wide variety of health and happiness benefits, after controlling for age, sex, hours of sleep, and region of residence. Also, education and worship tends to have greater positive associations with health in the married population than in the common-law population.

        For the married population, education, worship, and marijuana smoking are associated as expected with 43, 33 and 40, respectively, of the 69 health indicators analysed. For the common-law population the number of associations is lower, 20, 10, and 22, for the separated or divorced, 38, 14 and 30, and for the widowed, 15, 26 and 18, respectively.

        In predicting the likelihood of living common-law, marijuana consumption is the single most important association (positive): in all provinces, all age groups except teens, parents, mothers, fathers, the employed, and residents of metros Toronto, Kitchener, St Catharines, Oshawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver. In many subpopulations, the religiously unaffiliated are more likely to live common-law than most religious groups except French Roman Catholic.

        In future research we would like to focus on the marital status of parents and explore the health of their children, conduct more in-depth analyses of the key indicators, and have survey data available for homosexual couples, which should be feasible as they have been identified in the census.

        An implication of this study is that legislation affecting marriage and relationship choices should await appropriate data and studies of the direct and indirect impacts on happiness and all aspects of health - of body, mind, spirit, emotions and finances.