SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Living happily ever after needn't only be for fairy tales. Australian researchers have identified what it takes to keep a couple together, and it's a lot more than just being in love.
A couple's age, previous relationships and even whether they smoke or not are factors that influence whether their marriage is going to last, according to a study by researchers from the Australian National University.
The study, entitled "What's Love Got to Do With It," tracked nearly 2,500 couples -- married or living together -- from 2001 to 2007 to identify factors associated with those who remained together compared with those who divorced or separated.
It found that a husband who is nine or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorced, as are husbands who get married before they turn 25. I did marry an older man, but luckily, he's only 4 years older!! I was under 25, but he wasn't. Whoop!
Children also influence the longevity of a marriage or relationship, with one-fifth of couples who have kids before marriage -- either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship -- having separated compared to just nine percent of couples without children born before marriage. Luckily, we got preggers a whopping 2 months after marriage! ;)
Women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to get a divorce. No worries here, McDreamy talked about children before we even got engaged!!
A couple's parents also have a role to play in their own relationship, with the study showing some 16 percent of men and women whose parents ever separated or divorced experienced marital separation themselves compared to 10 percent for those whose parents did not separate. We're 50/50 here...but those are still good odds!
Also, partners who are on their second or third marriage are 90 percent more likely to separate than spouses who are both in their first marriage. It's the 1st for both of us!
Not surprisingly, money also plays a role, with up to 16 percent of respondents who indicated they were poor or where the husband -- not the wife -- was unemployed saying they had separated, compared with only nine percent of couples with healthy finances. We're working on it..and luckily for me, McDreamy is VERY hardworking!
And couples where one partner, and not the other, smokes are also more likely to have a relationship that ends in failure. No smokers here!
Factors found to not significantly affect separation risk included the number and age of children born to a married couple, the wife's employment status and the number of years the couple had been employed.
The study was jointly written by Dr Rebecca Kippen and Professor Bruce Chapman from The Australian National University, and Dr Peng Yu from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
And let me just state that I believe love has everything to do with it! A love that you work at every day. A love that gets you thru the best and worst times. A love that changes as you change and grow. A love that lets you be who you are. A love that lets you mess up, forgives you for it and helps you get back on track. Love is what I hold on to everyday. Love is the reason for waking, the reason for breathing...the reason for being. But, you know, that's just my opinion!
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