Is Marriage on the decline?

WaPo reports that a study shows the recession has weighed heavily on American marriages ... but there is a silver lining: "About a third of the couples surveyed said the recession had prompted them to work harder on saving their marriage."

There is also good news for those who work to stay married: "In 2007, after reviewing research on the health effects of matrimony, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a 68-page report that found that, in general, married people are happier, live longer, drink less and even have fewer doctor's appointments than unmarried folks."

National Marriage Week continues, as reported by Heritage:

National Marriage Week is underway! Beginning today and culminating on Valentine’s Day, hundreds of organizations, community groups, and religious institutions will spend a week celebrating the benefits of marriage and encouraging married couples across the country to remain committed to lifelong love.

Remember the marriage gap for college-educated women? It's gone.

Paula Szuchman at the WSJ asks if the key to happy marriages is "mom cooks, dad plays?"

Cristen Conger, meanwhile, somewhat haplessly tries to make the case that marriage doesn't make much of a difference to a relationship.

Meanwhile Daniel Estrin writes about Egypt's "apolitical frustration", namely,  the poverty that keeps people from getting married.