Why Married Couples Stay Together

The people around us play a critical role in decisions to stay or leave

The state of marriage seems pretty good these days. The divorce rate is falling, and polls consistently find that married Americans are overwhelmingly satisfied with their relationships. A poll we conducted earlier this year found that roughly eight in ten said they were completely or very satisfied with their marriages. Only five percent report being dissatisfied.

Despite this, divorce is not uncommon—Pew finds that one in three Americans who have ever been married end up divorced. The rate has risen among older Americans, but divorce is still an experience that more often occurs during the early years of marriage.

Plenty of couples still contemplate ending their marriages. In a recent survey, we asked married adults whether they had ever contemplated ending their marriage––more than one in five (21 percent) said they had. Women were only slightly more likely than men to report having considered a divorce. It is secular women who are most likely to have given thought to moving on. Near…