A new study found that the idea that second marriages are more likely to fail than first marriages may be a misconception. A new report published by the Marriage Foundation has concluded that second marriages are significantly more likely to succeed than first marriages—though the reasons for this increase in relationship success is not yet fully clear.
According to the study, which studied data provided by the United Kingdom’s Office of National Statistics, 45 percent of first marriages end in divorce, while only 31 percent of second marriages end in divorce. While divorce rates have increased across all groups since the 70s before dropping in recent years, the divorce rate for second marriages is lower than for first marriages.
A further analysis of the data shows that the reason that second marriages may be more successful than first marriages may be tied to age and wisdom: people who marry for the second time are often older than those entering their first marriage, and people who marry when older are less likely to divorce.
Researchers also found that second marriages also often come with greater financial security, which can help relationships last. In addition, men and women who remarry are less likely to be influenced by social pressure, family, education, and other outside factors that can lead to a bad match.
The divorce study also found that men who marry for the second time are more likely to find a successful pairing than women who marry for the second time—though the gap is closing.
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