Abby Connolly
Let’s be honest: there are a lot of things and issues that can lead to the decline or downfall of a marriage.
Some of these issues include problems with money, unfaithfulness, a lack of communication, etc. While this is pretty common knowledge, not everyone takes the time to think about a certain factor that could affect marriages more than you’d expect.
Did you ever think certain age gaps could make or break a marriage?
While there is no exact age gap or difference that can ensure a healthy, long-lasting marriage, there are certain age gaps that are too significant to make a marriage work.
Some studies, like this one in the Journal of Population Economics, have shown that married couples with larger age gaps become less satisfied with their relationship at a faster rate than those with smaller age gaps.
For instance, a couple who are zero to three years apart in age will be satisfied with their marriage longer than a couple who are four to six years apart.
Some researchers believe that when a couple has a larger age gap, as time goes on and they get older, they have a harder time getting through some of life’s biggest challenges like illness or financial hardships.
Additionally, the stress of having children or trying to retire can be greater for those in a larger age-gap relationship than those who are closer in age.
However, something that’s interesting is that both men and women have been found to be happier when married to someone younger versus older than them, no matter how far apart in age they are. Unfortunately, that happiness still may begin to decline after six to ten years of marriage.
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