Weighty Issues: How Marriage Affects Men and Women's Bodies Differently

Submitted by anthony on Sun, 2011-08-28 16:11

Article here. Excerpt:

'Cut the cake! Both men and women are likely to pack on a few extra pounds after they get married. That modest figure is an average—it also includes married folks who gain or lose a significant amount of weight upon tying the knot. And according to a new study, marriage is linked to a heightened risk for major weight gain among women. For men, the pounds come a little bit later: after the divorce.

Add a steady waist measurement to one of the many social perks of marrying as a man. Married men make more money and get more promotions than single guys. They live longer, have less heart disease, drink less, smoke less weed, and experience less stress. Meanwhile, married women have less fulfilling sex lives and less free time than their husbands. They also have smaller paychecks. (They do get to keep smoking the same amount of weed). These factors help explain why women are less into marriage than men are. And they may also contribute to the gendered risk of gaining weight after getting hitched.

Bluntly, marriage "is more beneficial for men than for women," write Ohio State University sociologists Dmitry Tumin and Zhenchao Qian. "Men after marriage do not gain [significant] weight because they enjoy a healthy lifestyle and receive stronger emotional support"—in other words, they've got the time, energy, and help to maintain a steady weight, thanks to the sacrifices of their spouses. Across the aisle, though, "the unsettling effect of a marriage for women may be strong enough to cause large weight gain."'

Like0 Dislike0

Comments

When the people in the marriage are right for each other, it's not a lot of work. But alas, many people are not right for each other when they get married, which leads to divorce. The author seems to have overlooked how women generally make out quite well in a divorce and men generally get the shaft. So is marriage "good for men"? Marriage it would seem is good for men (and women) when the right people are getting married. But when not? It's extra bad for men esp. given how it ends. And I think the many stats and studies compiled on this topic bear that out: loss of income due to alimony/child support, loss of social network support that frequently leaves the man and goes with the woman, loss of children at home, loss of many things. No mention of that.

In any case though, this article was about weight gain after marriage. She seems to think that it's largely the fault/responsibility of the husband. I simply don't buy that, especially if there are no significant new demands (eg: kids) on anyone's time. In a good marriage, do people object to their mate taking an hour a day (or just three times a week) to go work out? Or does marriage force women to adopt bad eating habits? Those things are in the individual's control. Frankly I see this article as just another male-bashing piece.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Matt on Sun, 2011-08-28 16:24

The authors of this piece are clearly looking for something to praise women for, and to bash men with. They have no substantiation for their opinions, the only hard data are the numbers about weight, life span, salaries, etc.

Whether its "good for men" as the authors allege, is certainly debatable. I have a whole different spin on their numbers. Women put on weight after they get married because they think they no longer have to look good, they have snagged their guy. So they let themselves go, and they pack on the pounds. Men don't put on weight after marriage because they are working so hard to bring home the bacon. So low weight can actually be a reflection of stress and working hard, rather than the alleged benefit of marriage. Men put on the pounds after divorce because they are financially enslaved, and isolated from their kids, and they can't do anything about it, so they are depressed about the hopelessness of their situation.

Married men make more money, and get more promotions, than single guys because they have to be the providers for their families. This is not some discrimination thing as the authors allege. The women are often sitting at home, taking care of the kids, and being supported by the men. Of course, these authors use spin to decide that this situation is somehow detrimental to women. We should know by now, everything is detrimental to women -- women are the eternal victims of everything.

I could go on, but it's probably wasted typing. Completely omitted from the authors' analysis is the effect of kids in a marriage. So when you have kids, you may have less sex. So it's no wonder that women after marriage have less fulfilling sex. The real red flag, indicating this is a feminist hate article, is the claim that "women are less into marriage than men." What? Who's pushing for marriage these days? Never the men, always the women...

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by redwoodwriter on Sun, 2011-08-28 21:00

Silly me - I thought weight gain came from consuming more calories than are burned off.

Ho-Hum

Another "study" that cherry-picks data to find an excuse to bash men. These clowns know that to receive more money for studies they need to come to "correct" conclusions. What else is new.

They sit back and picture themselves asking for more money to conduct studies if their data point to the wrong conclusion. The desired results drive the study's design.

Just more gorging at the public trough by promoting popular prejudices.

Like0 Dislike0
Submitted by Arty on Mon, 2011-08-29 18:50