What Makes a Marriage Last? A Happy Wife, According To Research

A happy marriage is often dependent on equality and understanding from both partners.

However, recent findings reveal that the contentment of female partners may essentially be more important than male ones in heterosexual unions.

Researchers at Rutgers University found that a more satisfied wife was typically more important for a long-term marriage as far as a long-term relationship and life goes.

"I think it comes down to the fact that when a wife is satisfied with the marriage she tends to do a lot more for her husband, which has a positive effect on his life," said researcher Deborah Carr, a professor in the Department of Sociology, School of Arts and Science, in a news release. "Men tend to be less vocal about their relationships and their level of marital unhappiness might not be translated to their wives."

For the study, researchers examined 394 couples who participated in a national study of income, health and disability in 2009. They noted that all couples were married for an average of 39 years and at least one of the spouses was 60 years or older.

All involved were required to answer questions about their feelings regarding their spouse, as well as document how happy they were in their previous 24 hours while doing activities such as shopping, housework, etc.

Findings revealed that most of the husbands in the experiment typically rated their marriage slightly more positive than their wives.

"For both spouses, being in a better-rated marriage was linked to greater life satisfaction and happiness," Carr concluded.

Researchers noted that the quality of marriage is essential against many health issues that couples will come in contact with in future years. Keeping a strong and healthy marriage will help many partners positively face many difficult decisions over the years.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the Journal of Marriage and Family.