Here is an advice from two different studies: If you want your marriage to last, don’t shack up, make sure that the man is over 25 years old when he marries, but not more than 9 years older than the woman and than both of you agree whether you want children or not.

 

These are according to a new study conducted by The Australian National University and another one published by the Journal of Family Psychology.

 

Both studies looked at different factors that influence whether a marriage will last or not.

 

The first studied titled “What’s love got to do with it” (yes like the song) 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.

 

This study found that:

  1. A husband who is 9 or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorce, as are husbands who get married before they turn 25
  2. If the couple had children before their marriage (either with their current spouse or from previous relationships) they are more likely to separate.
  3. Women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to get a divorce.
  4. Sixteen 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Sixteen percent of couple who considered themselves as being poor, ended up in divorce, compared to 9% among couples with higher income.

 

The good news is that this study found that the number of children born in the marriage and the employment status of the wife has no impact in the relationship.

 

The second study, found that those who moved in with a mate before engagement or marriage reported significantly lower quality marriages and a greater potential for split-ups than other couples.

 

What strikes me the most is the high percentage of second or third marriages that end on divorce (90%). You would think that people would go into a second marriage a little bit more prepare and knowing the ups and downs of a relationship, yet the opposite is true. Perhaps this article about the top 5 reasons why second marriages fail makes sense after all.