The widespread belief that many parents are trapped in loveless, unhappy marriages is a myth, according to research.
No single married mother consistently reported feeling miserable during the fourteen years that couples were surveyed.
The Marriage Foundation’s groundbreaking study followed more than 6,200 parents with children born between 2000 and 2002. Researchers said their findings debunk the myth that a significant number of people are trapped in miserable marriages.
They found that 69 percent of mothers and fathers start off happily, with these couples most likely to stay together. It was couples who were ‘neither happy nor unhappy’ who had the highest divorce rate.
The survey asked couples how happy they were with their relationship when their child was nine months old, then three, five, seven, eleven and fourteen years old. About 75 percent of mothers who were “happy” at nine months stayed with their partners throughout the study, compared with 65 percent of “unhappy” mothers and 54 percent of “neither” mothers.
No married mother consistently reported feeling miserable during the 14 years couples were surveyed (stock photo)
The survey asked couples how happy they were with their relationship when their child was nine months old, then three, five, seven, 11 and 14 years old (stock photo)
About 75 percent of mothers who were ‘happy’ at nine months stayed with their partners throughout the study (stock photo)
Researchers also found that couples who marry before having a baby have the best chance of staying together.
Harry Benson, research director at the Marriage Foundation, said: ‘This data definitively debunks the myth that thousands of couples are trapped in unhappy marriages.
“As these data show, this narrative, often promoted by those who hate the institution of marriage, is baseless.”
He added that the findings show: “Those who are unhappy either break up or work out.” Sir Paul Coleridge, former judge and founder of Marriage Foundation, said: ‘Every couple knows there are good times and bad times.
“But just as perpetually happy couples are the stuff of Disney legends, so are the other extreme, perpetually unhappy couples. They are very rare.
‘A large cohort of captive, miserable couples is simply not borne out by this new research.’