When Wives Get Sick, Marriage Is More Likely To End In Divorce

Statistics are very harsh when it comes to divorce in America. Estimates show that about 40 to 50 percent of marriages will end in divorce. When young and old couples alike take the vows to death do us part and for better or worse, they might not quite understand all the things that will come with it.

New findings published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior show that couples over the age of 50 dealing with an ill partner are more likely to have higher divorce rates; this is particularly true if the wife is ill. The same problem was not seen if the husband was ill.

"There is a difference between feeling too sick to make dinner and needing someone to actually feed you. That's something that can really change the dynamics within a marriage," said Amelia Karraker, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of human development and family studies at Iowa State, in a news release. "If your spouse is too sick to work, we know that financial strain is a major predictor of divorce in and of itself."

Even in modern day society, wives are oftentimes still the quality caregivers. If they become ill, their husbands are less likely to take on the role of caregiver and less comfortable in the role, overall.

Researchers discovered this after using data from the Health and Retirement Study, which does not indicate whether the husband or wife initiated the divorce. However, it is also possible that some women are ending the marriage due to care issues.

"Life or death experiences may cause people to re-evaluate what's important in their lives," Karraker added. "It could be that women are saying, ‘You're doing a bad job of caring for me. I'm not happy with this, or I wasn't happy with the relationship to begin with, and I'd rather be alone than be in a bad marriage.'"

Marriage can certainly enhance an individual's life, including both his or her physical and mental health. However, these study results show that married women who get sick during their marriage are at greatest risk of losing benefits. 

"I think the research shows the potential vulnerabilities for people in society who are sick. There is an elevated risk for depression with illness, and now you're also at risk for divorce," Karraker concluded. "People in poor health may have less access to beneficial social relationships, which in turn can compromise their health further."

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