Wednesday, October 16, 2002
Study reveals that unwed couples with kids are more likely to separate
A story released today by Ananova.com reports that researchers have found that unmarried couples who live together and have children are more likely to split up than those who remain childless.
The Institute of Social and Economic Research has found parenthood can have a "negative impact" on couples, especially if they are having a baby to help them decide whether to marry.
It showed that although a birth might temporarily extend the time a couple stayed together, 65% of them would eventually split up.
Just 45% of domestic partners who remained childless would end their relationships, with many of those who stuck together going on to marry.
Those who did have children would be much less likely to wed within the following year, the figures showed, and therefore were statistically more likely to part within a 10-year period.
Of all live-in heterosexual partnerships, 51% ended in marriage, with 28% splitting up within a year.
The study drew its figures from the British Household Panel, a representative group of 5,500 households comprising 10,000 individuals interviewed annually by the ISER.
