Are Men or Women More Likely to Be Married?
October 28, 2025
Marriage is built on the lifelong union of a man and a woman. So, when sociologists ask the important question, “Who is more likely to be married, men or women?,” it would seem at first blush the answer is obvious: “Both are!”
But the truth is men and women have different likelihoods of being married, and at different life stages. This is a topic the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) has brought much needed understanding to. They do point out that young men are less likely to be married than young women. But they curiously note the seemingly contradictory fact that “while men are more likely than women to be ‘never married,’ they are also more likely to be currently married.”
