Final answer:
Research indicates that stable marriages can contribute to wellbeing, but cohabitation has little impact on marital success. Changes in societal norms have influenced trends in delaying marriage, with importance placed on education and career. Children of married parents tend to have advantages, yet good parenting is not exclusive to marital status.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question looks at whether married people enjoy better health than those who are not married. While there are various perspectives on this, studies indicate that having a stable marriage can contribute to wellbeing throughout adulthood. The primary reasons some couples choose to cohabitate before marriage are to work out relationship issues and adjust to a shared life together. Despite some thinking that cohabitation affects marriage success, recent research suggests that it has little impact on the likelihood of a marriage to last beyond ten years. In modern society, factors such as valuing education and career advancement have influenced the trend of delaying marriage.
Cohabitation may also reflect changing societal norms around marriage, as studies show an increasing number of people view marriage as becoming obsolete. With regards to family and children, the evidence suggests that children who grow up with married parents tend to have more advantages, although parenting quality is not necessarily tied to the marital status of the parents.