When Texas couples consider ending their marriage, they often wind up struggling over issues related to money. Whether they’re dealing with retirement funds, the family home or ongoing support, issues over asset division can be some of the most significant in any divorce. After all, the financial effects of a divorce can linger on long after the personal and emotional issues have been resolved years before. Because of the importance of these issues, many people think that finances are a major cause of marital unhappiness and stress. While this may be the case for some people, one study found that other issues were more indicative of future problems,.
Researchers at two universities aimed to look at reasons for marital dissatisfaction and divorce. They noticed that most studies had primarily involved middle-class couples and wanted to look at the potential effects of socioeconomic status on marital satisfaction. Therefore, they identified 431 couples living in a lower-income area to study over several years. Participants received an eight-question survey in 2009 as newlyweds and answered the questions each year until 2014. The researchers found that lower-income couples’ happiness was not primarily affected by their income. Instead, the major issue seemed to be how happy they were when first married.
The couples identified as having a high level of satisfaction as newlyweds continued to do so, reporting that they trusted one another. On the other hand, those who were unhappy and distrustful in the first survey became even more so over the years.
Of course, finances can be a major source of stress for a marriage, as well as other issues like parenting or family relations. A client can work with a family law attorney to seek a fair settlement of the applicable issues, including property division and child custody.
