At present, we have more than half-a-century of research on marriage, and many studies focus on solving the divorce problem. With the costliness of divorce to the couple and their children, including financial, physical, and socio-emotional costs, why would anyone undertake the endeavor without real commitment to making it work? Even with commitment to success, where do so many marriages go wrong?
Studies of marital longevity have found many factors that can help marriages last. One of those factors is religion. Consistency in religious belief between husband and wife appears to be beneficial to the marriage relationship. “Research has consistently found that religiosity and religious concordance in married couples have a beneficial impact on the quality and longevity of their relationships” (p. 2)
Why does shared religious belief help couples stay together? Many religious traditions encourage principles of fidelity, honesty, and forgiveness. There is also the pro-social or community aspect of religious observance that knits couples as well as communities together. In some religions, divorce is frowned upon and peer pressure within the religious community may push couples to stay together.
When husband and wife have different or discordant religious beliefs, “denominational differences may cause strain in marriages due to the difficulties of reconciling differing expectations and lack of family acceptance” (p. 3). This strain is more pronounced when couples have vastly different religious beliefs, compared to couples who share the same religious foundation (e.g., Christian) but belong to different denominations within that tradition.
To better understand the interplay of religion, divorce, and marital satisfaction, the authors of this 2019 study conducted longitudinal research using two different groups or cohorts. The first cohort came of age in the 1950s and the second came of age in the 1970s. Both groups were followed over a period of approximately 30 years.
In addition to religious denomination of husband and wife, the researchers measured the level of intensity of religious beliefs and the frequency of attendance at religious services. They also measured marital satisfaction and whether the marriage was dissolved during the study.
Some basic differences between husbands and wives and between generations were found. Wives reported being more religious than husbands. Participants in the younger cohort were less religious than those in the older cohort. More marriages were dissolved in the younger than the older cohort, although there was no significant difference in marital satisfaction between the groups.
Discordant religious beliefs between husband and wife, but not attendance frequency or intensity of beliefs, were associated with marriage dissolution. This relationship was similar for the two different generations.
For wives but not husbands, marital satisfaction played an important role in connecting discordant religious beliefs and marital breakup. The authors explained: “women’s perspective on religion and family life is more consequential than it is for men, and wives’ marital satisfaction is a more crucial factor enhancing or alleviating the impact of religious denomination discordance on their marital relations” (pp. 17-18).
A few caveats regarding characteristics of participants in the study: the socioeconomic status was lower-middle-class and higher, minorities were under-represented, no same-sex couples were included, and most couples lived in southern California at the time of the study. These characteristics should be noted in interpreting the findings of this study.
Hwang, W., Yoon, J., Silverstein, M., & Brown, M. T. (2019). Husband–wife religious discordance, marital satisfaction, and risk of marital dissolution in two generations. Journal of Family Issues, 40(9), 1201-1223.
©Jennie Dilworth, Ph.D