What Makes a Marriage Last, and What Doesn’t?

What makes a marriage last, and what doesn’t? If you are to ask this question from someone who has been married for quite some time, he or she will probably expound on three (3) elements: mutual admiration, mutual respect and compatibility as the main ingredients to a lasting marriage. So if those three (3) elements are absent from a marital relationship,the marriage is likely to end in divorce.

 

Actually most unions start with couples having mutual admiration and respect for each other; regardless of shared lifestyle. Still,it is important that admiration and respect are not rooted on some superficial reasons such as physical appearance, wealth or influence. Otherwise, those feelings are likely to erode, as soon as such reasons are gone.

 

More often than not, those who continue to admire and respect each other even during rough and tumble times, as well as beyond youth and financial capabilities, stay married and endure whatever challenges and changes transpire during their union. Simply stated, it is all a matter of being committed to fulfill one’s vow of loving and cherishing a person for the rest of one’s life, no matter what.

 

The only problem is that it is always a case of “easier said than done.” After all, not all marriages are beset with the same problems.

 

Now if you are to ask a divorce lawyer why some marriages last, while some do not, he or she will probably discuss with your reasons based on statistics.

Important Studies and Statistics about Marriage and Divorce

 

Based on a 2016 survey, (the latest conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics), the divorce rate in the U.S. has declined to 3.2 per 1000 population, while marriage rate also declined at 6.9 per 1000 population. Recent studies conducted revealed that millennials who marry later, whilst married millennials staying married longer, are the main reasons for the decline in both aspects.

 

Although in the U.S., statistics have it that an average first marriage lasts about 8 years before the union ends in divorce. Of the sixty-six percent of marriages that ended in divorce, data showed that wives initiated the filing for proceedings.

 

According to a national survey, the following are the most common reasons why couples divorced:

 

73% cite lack of commitment as the major reason.
56% said they argued too often.
55% said they divorced because their spouse was unfaithful.
46% reasoned that they married too young
45% claimed that their spouse had unrealistic expectations
44% felt there was lack of equality in the relationship
41% acknowledged that lack of preparation for the marriage was the main reason.
25% said they suffered from physical abuse or domestic violence