When “In Sickness and in Health” No Longer Holds True

A new piece of research has shown emerging divorce patterns that are concerning. This research focused on divorce trends among middle aged adults.

As we all know, Western wedding vows entail a promise that the two partners stay together in sickness and in health. However, a recent February 2025 study from the Journal of Marriage and Family has revealed that this particular promise is conditional for one sex, in couples over the age of 50.

Psychological researchers Daniele Vignoli, Giammarco Alderotti, and Cecilia Tomassini of this study, explored a hot topic question: How does health influence divorce among older couples?

Their study looked at 25,542 European heterosexual couples between the ages of 50 and 64, collected over an 18-year span from 2004 to 2022. Here are the key findings:

• When both partners, husband and wife, remained in good health, divorce rates remained stable

• When the husband fell sick, but the wife remained healthy, the likelihood of divorce did not significantly increase

• When wife was the one to fall sick, the likelihood of divorce significantly increased

The shocking finding of where wives in marriages develop a serious illness, the divorce rate is statistically significantly higher poses a lot of questions about the constitution of marriage, progression and gender roles. Similarly, the findings showed that when wives experience physical limitations that made daily tasks more challenging, the likelihood of divorce also increased.

What is clear there is the imbalance in how sickness impacts marriage stability and divorce rates. This demands that we understand gender roles, caregiving and commitment in relationships later in life. Despite the progression made in society in relationships, gender roles and household labour, we may still be facing problems that need to be looked at.