What Percentage of Physicians Are Married? Single? Among physicians who responded to this survey, over 85% of men and 71% of women are married, a rate far above that of the general US population. In fact, the current US Census found a drop in the percentage of married Americans over the past 40 years, from 72% in 1970 to just 48% in 2011.[5] This parallels a recent Pew Research report finding that only 51% of US adults are currently in a marital relationship.[6] The report also found that the current marriage rate for people under 30 was only 20%. In the Medscape survey, nearly half of physician respondents in that same age group reported being married. Male physicians, whether married or single, were more likely to be living with a partner (89%) than their female peers (76%). Over 14% of women said that they are single and, presumably, have never been married, compared with only 5.62% of men. Does a Physician's Marital Status Affect Level of Happiness? When looking at marital status, the highest self-rated happiness scores went to both men and women who were in their first marriage. In any case, living with a partner boosted happiness in general over living alone. Among both men and women without partners, being a widow or widower was not as unhappy a state as being divorced, and everyone was better off emotionally, it seemed, than those in the difficult state of separation. Source
