Married Vs. Single Moms-- Who Has The Better Deal?

A NYTimes article reflects on a poll a few years ago by BabyTalk magazine polling moms with the question:  Married (or, otherwise, committed) or single moms: Who has the better deal?  Interestingly enough, some of the positives that single moms noted were:

Not having to fight about to raise the kids.

Not having to work on a marriage in addition to raising the children

Feeling more free to pursue your own dreams

One of the biggest negatives, however, included dealing with the persistent social stigma-- or people's stereotypes of an unwed or single mom which may not be true (under-educated, irresponsible, etc.)

As for married moms, some of the negatives that you might expect only single moms to face (loneliness, overwhelmed) affected them as well.  Many married mothers find themselves doing the lion's share of child rearing, find themselves sacrificing their personal dreams/goals and may feel very mentally and emotionally alone.

So who is to say who has the better deal?  Married women, who have the 'benefit' of social acceptance and social approval, but who may have the added burden of unequal duties, personal sacrifices and/or loneliness within a marriage?  Or single women who may have more freedom to pursue their personal goals and initiatives, but lack the financial, social (and perhaps, emotional) benefits of being married?

The NY Times article concluded with the question, which I found quite poignant:
If you are raising a child on your own, is the grass always greener on the married side? And if you share parenting with a partner, do you sometimes wish it was only you?


Hmmmmm....