Long-term relationships need more than being in love

Jul 16 2009

According to Australian researchers, what keeps a couple together comes down to far more than just being in love.

A study by researchers from the Australian National University has revealed that a couple's age, previous relationships and even whether they smoke or not, are all factors that influence whether the marriage or partnership will survive.

Their study, entitled "What's Love Got to Do With It", tracked nearly 2,500 couples - married or living together over a six year period - from 2001 to 2007 - in order to identify factors which influenced those who remained together and those who divorced or separated.

Their research 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 were 25 and the longevity of a marriage or relationship was also influenced by children.

They found that one-fifth of couples who have children before marriage - either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship - became separated compared to just 9% of couples without children born before marriage and it was also revealed that women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to divorce.

A couple's parents also have an influence on their relationship, with the study showing 16% of men and women whose parents had separated or divorced, experienced marital separation themselves compared to 10% whose parents did not separate.

The researchers say partners who are on their second or third marriage are 90% more likely to separate than spouses who are both in their first marriage and money too appears to be a factor with 16% of respondents indicating they were poor or where the husband, but not the wife, was unemployed, had separated, compared with only nine% of couples with healthy finances.

Relationships where only one partner smokes or where the wife was a heavier drinker than her husband, are also more likely to end in failure.

Factors which appeared to be less important included country of birth, religious background and education levels, 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 - but the researchers estimate that a quarter of relationships will end within six years and 50% by 25 years.

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 conducted 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.