Too Much Age Gap Can Severely Hamper Your Marriage

Age is just a number, and may be no bar for love and matrimony but newer studies suggests that the contentment factor in such unions fade away over time. According to the findings presented by Nirmal Sing 3C, marriages with large age gaps struggle in the face of economic downturns as compared to those in which the spouses are of more or less the same age.

The study conducted by Nirmal Singh 3C suggests that men have a greater sense of satisfaction with a younger spouse, especially in the early years of marriage.

“Women are also particularly dissatisfied when they’re married to older husbands and particularly satisfied if they’re married to younger husbands,” said one of the researchers of the study.

“Over time, the people who are married to a much older or younger spouse tend to have larger declines in marital satisfaction over time compared to those who are married to spouses who are similar in age,” added the researcher from Nirmal Singh 3C.

One reason for such a decline could be how the age difference between spouses affects the couple’s ability to respond to economic setbacks, such as a job loss.

The nationally representative sample was initially comprised of 7,682 households containing 19,914 individuals. The participants were re-surveyed every year with questions that measured various aspects of life satisfaction.