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More Marriages Lasting Longer

...thanks to weddings later in life: sociologists

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted May 19, 2011 4:24 PM CDT

(Newser) – Though fewer people are getting married, more who do are sticking with it, census data shows. Some three-quarters of couples who wed after 1990 saw a 10-year anniversary—3 percentage points higher than those who wed in the early 1980s. That’s when the divorce rate reached its peak in the US, the Washington Post reports. The longer marriages are attributable in part to people getting hitched later in life, after they’ve finished their educations, sociologists say.

Older brides and grooms are more mature and more financially stable. “People seem to be finding a new marriage bargain that works for 21st-century couples,” notes one analyst. “It’s based on pooling two incomes, replacing the old breadwinner-homemaker bargain that worked well in the ’50s.”

Marriages are lasting longer, says census data. (Shutterstock)

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Showing 3 of 10 comments

STACCEE

May 21, 2011 5:00 PM CDT

so wha, how much cheating has gone on in most of these happy marriages. lots i bet or they don't want to divide up property, or pay the money for divorce, or just live separate lives under the same roof, or how many are just damn miserable but stay together because it is easier to keep up apperances

onebadc20

May 20, 2011 10:36 AM CDT

Cuz its cheaper to keep her!

njguy54

May 20, 2011 8:51 AM CDT

Good news... and it's due in part to the fact that the era of shotgun weddings is over, as well as the belief that people "have to" get married at a certain age to satisfy society's expectations. The people who want to get married are doing so after serious thought -- even if they have children together -- and those who don't, aren't.

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More Marriages Lasting Longer

...thanks to weddings later in life: sociologists

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

marriage • couples • relationships

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More Newser Stories

For a Better Relationship, Postpone Sex

Researchers find good things come to those who wait

Living Together No Longer Jinxes Marriage

Also: Half of first marriages end in divorce

90-Somethings Are Oldest-Ever Newlyweds

98-year-old weds 95-year old on Leap Day

Marriage Won't Make You Happier: Study

At least, not compared to just living with your partner

Couple Weds for 100th Time

They have been making vows since 1984

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