Marriage==Unhappiness?

I recently read a study in the Wall Street Journal that suggested that having children decrease marital happiness. To me that seemed so paradoxical. I probed the article deeper to understand the origin of their results. I had a couple of realizations:

1. The marriages wherein marital satisfaction suffered most likely centered on fun and pleasure. Having a baby is hard work and obviously the amount of "fun" had is going to diminish once a baby is added to the mix. Unless, of course, the hard work needed to raise a family is considered fun for the couple. Then it wouldn't be long before another child comes long!
2. Our society has become adept at producing individuals that can function in the structured workplace yet lack the practical skills to solve problems in an unstructured environment. It seems ridiculous that two married people would still need to be counseled to know how to build a friendship and solve relationship problems. Shouldn't those skills have been acquired BEFORE marriage? And about the "keeping score" of whose turn it is to do this or that; I think that attitude is dangerous because each spouse is focusing on their own needs instead of those of the child.

I find comfort in the fact that 1/3rd of the couples studied saw an increase in marital satisfaction upon having children. This is consistent with my experience that the most rewarding achievements and paths taken in life are the ones less traveled. It's easy to be mediocre; you just have to be like everyone else.