Most people have heard of the seven-year itch. It’s such a common expression that it even warranted its own film. But it turns out that it might be more accurate to say eight-year itch based on new information published by the United States Census Bureau. Find out whether there’s any truth behind the old adage and how it might impact your marriage in California.
The eight-year itch?
According to the Census Bureau’s statistical data, if a couple is going to get a divorce, and it’s their first marriage, the split usually happens right around the eight-year mark. However, it’s important to bear in mind that this eight-year divorce rate is a trend, not a guarantee. No two couples are the same, and not everyone falls in line with these statistics.
An outdated institution
One interpretation of the data is that this trend in divorce is essentially a symptom of what’s going on beneath the surface. Couples and people as individuals require different things to maintain their mental wellness and meet all their physical and emotional needs. The marital structure that still exists today was created in an entirely different era, in which there were big differences in the way people behaved and what they felt they needed in order to be happy, as compared to those same things today.
The best thing for concerned spouses in their first marriage to do is pay attention to each other’s feelings. Be open, honest and communicative. Don’t take marital restlessness as a personal affront or a sign that the relationship is doomed. Rather, see it as an opportunity to grow and adapt as partners.
One possibility of why this trend has such prominence in first marriages is that adults develop in increments of approximately seven years. Although they’re commonly seen to be past their developmental years, adults are not static. It then logically follows that, as individuals change, couples may grow further and further apart.