4 Factors Leading to Marriage Failure

Statistics in Western society tell us that about 50% of all marriages fail. Worse yet is that many of those don’t even make it past the first year.  Understanding why marriages fail can be key to ensuring that your own marriage succeeds.  Some factors that can contribute to the marriage failure include a lack of communication, financial issues, the circumstances of the marriage, and even society as a whole.  All of these issues can exist even in a great marriage, but if they are not dealt with properly, the marriage is more likely to crumble around you.

Let's briefly examine those 4 factors leading to marriage failure.

1. Communication

The #1 key to a great marriage is good communication. It is critical to the success of a marriage.  Without proper communication, conflict resolution becomes a difficult challenge.  If the couple lacks the communication skills necessary to resolve their problems, then even the smallest problems will become insurmountable.  Communication also allows a relationship to grow and thrive by giving the partners an opportunity to share their dreams, concerns, hopes, and desires with each other.  Without sharing in this way, a couple will not grow as close together as they should. 

Communication also gives the couple a healthy way to resolve their disagreements.  If one or both partners lack good communications skills, it becomes difficult to resolve arguments, as the couple is not able to understand each other's point of view.  If the marriage is already in trouble, both partners in the marriage must be dedicated to working on their communication skills in order to improve or salvage their marriage.  The absence of effective communication techniques can lead to the failure of a marriage.

2. Financial

Love may conquer all but sometimes even love isn’t enough to save a marriage when there are significant financial concerns.  While financial concerns in and of themselves may not be the cause of a failed marriage, the tension that they create is often the starting point in a failed marriage.  Financial concerns can be a heavy burden to bear and when a couple is struggling to meet their financial obligations, there can be a tremendous amount of pressure in the relationship.  This pressure may be enough to destroy an otherwise good marriage. 

If one of the partners in the marriage becomes obsessed with the marital finances they can begin to neglect other needs of the marriage.  This neglectful behavior has the effect of making the other partner feel lonely, or even ignored. This obviously leads to problems in other areas like communication and trust.

3. Wrong Reasons

When the decision to marry is based on something other than true love, it is likely that the marriage will fail.  Some examples of marriage circumstances that often lead to failure are (a) getting married because there is a baby on the way, or (b) because the couple is feeling pressured by friends and family members.  Neither of these reasons are truly valid reasons for marriage and often lead to failure.  When a couple marries for reasons other than true love, the marriage is often doomed right from the beginning.

Marrying too young is another reason why many marriages fail.  While the right age to marry varies greatly depending on the individual, many people argue that the teens and early twenties are too early to get married.  Getting married before you have had a chance to enjoy many of life’s experiences can result in resentfulness in the marriage. 

4. Society

A modern reason for many marriages to fail is that society no longer places importance on the institution of marriage.  It is now common for couples to live together and have children without being married.  This devalues marriage and results in a higher percentage of failed marriages.  With so little value placed on marriage in today’s society, couples are not committed to making their marriage work, and are often quick to give up on the marriage and each other. 

Final Words

Many marriages today are doomed before they even start.  Marriage is no longer seen as a necessary step in a relationship, so many couples are quick to divorce without making an honest effort to resolve their problems.  Communication breakdown, financial difficulties, and the circumstances of the marriage are also problems that can cause many marriages to fail.

If you want to see your marriage succeed, take the time to study. There are many excellent resources, including Grandpa Richard's Relationships Website. Visit today and learn how to improve your relationship.