Christians happier in marriage and men more satisfied, but Gen X is in trouble: study
Christians are happier with their marriages than non-Christians, men are more satisfied with their unions than women, and Gen X couples are in trouble, according to a recent Marriage Helper study conducted by Barna Group.
While Christians and men, in general, are shown to be reaping the most positive benefits of marriage, data from the study of 1,500 U.S. adults about marriage and divorce conducted from April 15 to May 10, show that Generation X, the cohort of individuals born between 1965 and 1980, appear to be suffering an alarming divorce trend.
“Our data on practicing Christians is encouraging, but when you connect that to the larger trends — Generation Xers are at the highest risk to repeat the ‘Gray Divorce’ cycle started by Baby Boomers — everyone needs to be on the alert. Gen Xers are less satisfied in their marriages, less likely to seek help, and ripe for divorce as their kids leave home and life patterns shift,” Kimberly Holmes, CEO of Marriage Helper, said in a statement to The Christian Post. “While men believe they’re very satisfied in their marriages, decades of research shows that men are actually resistant to admitting there is a problem.”
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Marriage Helper, which works to rebuild marriages and strengthen families through online resources, courses and marriage coaching, is now offering men who need help with their relationship free access to their resources for Father’s Day.
“We’re giving complimentary access to our Father’s Day tuneup course precisely because it provides a non-intimidating way for men to dip their toe in the water and take a positive step, to take action on their marriage,” Holmes said.
The study shows that while 59% of all U.S. adults report being very satisfied with their marriage, that figure among practicing Christians stood at 73%. Another 20%, or practicing Christian couples, also reported they were somewhat satisfied, along with 22% of all U.S. adults.
Some 65% of men reported being very satisfied with their marriage, while just 52% of women reported the same. And while 65% of millennials and 61% of Boomers reported being very satisfied with their marriage, only 47% of Generation X couples said they were very satisfied.
When it comes to seeking help, however, when asked if they considered getting marriage help in the last 12 months, half of the couples who were very or somewhat frustrated said they considered counseling. Overall, one in seven married adults said they considered counseling.
The younger the adult questioned, the more likely they were to seek counseling. Black, Hispanic, and couples with children younger than 18 were also more likely to seek marital counseling, the study shows.
