A study of 2,717 married couples by researchers at the University of Michigan suggests that 31 per cent of marriages end when at least one partner is sick, but marital dissolution is far more likely if it’s the woman who gets ill.
The college researchers looked for diseases like cancer, heart disease, lung disease and stroke, and how they impacted the marriages and looked through 20 years of data to find that roughly 75 per cent of couples dealing with chronic disease end in divorce.
The research speculates that for many men nurturing and being a carer goes against their genetic grain and they find themselves unable to cope with having someone rely on them so dependently.
Rachel Sussman, a New York-based relationship expert spoke to the MailOnline about the data.
“Women are natural care takers. It’s biologically programed into us,” she says. “This is so much more difficult for men. It’s not natural for them and clearly not their biological mission… A high testosterone type A male is simply not programed for this type of work.”
Though the study did not track which of its subjects initiated a divorce, it’s noted that typically women are the ones who move for a separation, which may indicate that they themselves are frustrated with the husband’s level of care, not the other way around.
“[It’s] important to recognise that the impetus for divorce may be health-related and that sick ex-wives may need additional care and services to prevent worsening health and increased health expenditures,” said study author Amelia Karraker in a statement.
