NEW STUDY SUGGESTS DIVORCE IS MORE COMMON WHEN WIVES FALL ILL. A new study has revealed that serious illness raises the risk of divorce in older married couples, but far more so if its the wife who falls ill, not the husband. The research, which looked at over 2,700 older married couples during the course of almost 20 years, reflects many other similar studies in finding that roughly a third of all the marriages ended in divorce. What it also revealed is that in almost half of those cases, the wife fell ill. We found that women are doubly vulnerable to marital dissolution in the face of illness, said Dr Amelia Karraker, one of the studys authors. If they are the ones who become ill, they are more likely to get divorced. Although the study didnt delve into why this might be the case, Dr Karraker suggests that it could have something to do with a womans tendency to be instinctively better caregivers. Gender norms and social expectations about caregiving may make it more difficult for men to provide care to ill spouses, she stated in a press release. Indeed, when one of Hollywoods most enduring married couples, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, temporarily split last year, it was widely reported that it was Ms Zeta Jones struggles with bipolar disorder which caused the relationship to crumble, even after the pair stuck together through Mr Douglas battle with throat cancer. Rachel Sussman, a New York-based relationship expert said about the findings. Women are natural care takers. Its biologically programed into us, she says. This is so much more difficult for men. Its not natural for them and clearly not their biological mission.
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 15:26:19 +0000
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