This brief reviews research on the positive outcomes of marriage compared to alternative household arrangements. Cited data indicates: adolescents in intact families are the least likely to feel depressed compared to those with divorced, step-, cohabiting, or single parents; the national average grade-point scores of children in intact families is 2.98, compared to 2.79 for children of cohabiting parents and 2.71 for children living in stepfamilies; the rate of youth incarceration is significantly greater for children raised in single-mother and stepfamily homes, even after controlling for parental income and education; children in non-intact families are three times as likely to have children outside of marriage; and rates of engaging in problem behaviors such as lying, stealing, drunkenness, and violence are higher for children of divorce compared to children in intact families. The lack of research on the outcomes of children being brought up by same-sex couples is highlighted, and the need for such data before accepting same-sex marriage and parenting is stressed. (Author abstract).