Can College Relationships Lead to Happy Marriages? Studies Prove Revealing Data
Going off to college is an exciting time for a young person. Although academic success is the goal for most students, just as important to a student’s college experience, is joining the dating world. It brings a sense of belonging as well as physical and emotional satisfaction. Many relationships made during the college years fall apart quickly, although many remain strong during college and after graduation. It is interesting to study the research and statistics to see why some relationships last, yet others quickly crumble. I saw an interesting article on this topic written by Natalie Maximents on March 21, 2022. She is a certified life transformation coach and her post started me as a divorce lawyer looking into this question in a bit more depth.
Generally speaking the college years are a time for experimenting. It is a time when an individual with develop their attitude and outlook towards social relationships, and form their life values. It is a time for learning how to interact with others in a variety of circumstances. When a student starts college they are usually around 18 or 19, which is considered late adolescence.
Most teenagers have usually had some dating experiences, however when they get to college their view towards romantic relationships changes. They tend to have longer lasting and exclusive relationships. The average length of a romantic relationship for a person in late adolescence is about one year. When a person reaches early adulthood, 20-21 years old, it has been found that relationships last roughly four times longer. For those people with dating experience in high school are more likely to form steady relationship when they go to college.
Type of College Plays Factor in Marriage
It used to be that people in college found a soul mate and got married shortly after graduation. However marriage trends have slowly changing since 1990. These days young adults are focusing on establishing a career, and becoming more financially stable before tying the knot. Data from 20 years ago shows that the average age for marriages among young adults was 25-26, although data from 2019 shows that the median age for a woman to get married is 28.4 years, and 30.1 years for men.
The type of college a person attends can play a big part in the number of students getting married. Dr. Roberrt Kelchen, a researcher from Seton Hall University conducted a research in 2014. He analyzed marriage rates among students attending private nonsectarian schools, public institutions and schools with religious affiliations. The highest marriage rate, 14% was among those attending private schools with religious affiliations. The rate for those attending public universities was 12%, and only 5% for those attending private nonsectarian colleges.
Dating and Studying Difficult to Maintain
It can be difficult to build long lasting romantic relationships while attending college. There are many reasons that college relationship fall apart. It used to be that dating was the standard way to begin a relationship. However research supports that college students often meet at parties, and engage in casual sex. These interactions may not progress into a relationship. Many students have difficulty finding a balance between the pressure of studying and dating.
Studies support that the average college student is studying at least 15 hours a week in addition to attending classes, volunteering and perhaps working. They just simply don’t have the time to devote to developing a meaningful romantic relationship. Generally on college campuses there is a gender imbalance, meaning that there are more women than men. This can make it harder for women to find a partner. After graduation, many relationships fall apart due to the fact that many couples are no longer living in the same geographical area. Many couples find it difficult to maintain a long distance relationship, and decide to break up and find someone where they live.
Even though there are hardships in establishing a meaningful romantic relationship, such as lack of time and gender imbalance, college can be a perfect place to find a partner. There are lots of people to meet that are all about the same age group, and with a similar level of education, making it a good place to find a soul mate. So even though studies support that college relationships can be difficult to maintain, on the bright side, studies support that roughly 1/3 of college students are able to find their partner and remain together without divorcing long after graduation.
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Attorney Robert “Chip” Mues has been focusing his legal practice throughout Southwest Ohio primarily in divorce and family law matters since 1978. Chip is passionate about family law and has proudly published the Ohio Family Law Blog since 2007. In addition, he is the managing partner of Holzfaster, Cecil, McKnight & Mues. To learn more about him or the law firm, visit the firm’s website at www.hcmmlaw.com. Appointments are available in person, over the phone or by Zoom. Call us at 937 293-2141.
