use of estar vs. soy

Question

Why does Inma say "Estoy casada..." I would think that being married would use "ser" since it is considered to be a permanent state of being rather than temporary.

Answer

Hola Shamrockhill
The most usual way to say "I'm married" and to express a civil status in Spanish is using "estar": Estoy casado/-a, Estoy soltero/-a, Estoy viudo/-a. The use of ser instead of estar would make this sentence very formal and would generally only be used with ser if you are for example filling in a form or something. 
Saludos
Inma

Answer

casado/casada and divorciado/divorciada are the states resulting from actions (casar and divorciar), so in some sense Estoy casada is much like La ventana está abierta. But Inma is correct when she says it has to do with the "civil state" of the individual. A new reference grammar of modern Spanish (Butt et al., Routledge) states that "With words indicating marital status either verb can be used, but estar is more usual. The difference between 'estoy casado' and 'soy casado' is about the same as between 'I'm married' and 'I'm a married man'." This extends to soltero and viudo (Estoy/soy viudo. Estoy/soy soltero.)