So you want your marriage to last? Well… statistics show that if you have the following elements in your relationship, they are likely to provide a better foundation for a long lasting relationship. These items cannot replace or outweigh personal and intimate issues such as your perceptions of each other (and self for that matter), behavioural issues and fidelity etc. But you can take some comfort that you have a better edge than many other partners.

1. You were both older when you married.

Getting married over the age of twenty-five (as opposed to your teens) will decrease your chances of divorce. This is because older individuals tend to be more mature, clearer about what they’re looking for in a partner, and have more economic stability.

2. You share the same religion or belief system.

Sharing a religion is a powerful bond, because it brings you and your partner together on a spiritual level and gives your marriage a sense of a higher purpose. When you are both active in a religion, you have counseling and a strong support network available to foster you through difficult times in your marriage. Your shared values and life goals sustain your marriage and keep you growing together rather than apart.

3. You have some higher education.

A college degree isn’t necessary to increase your chances of a long-lasting marriage, but some higher education will decrease your chances of divorce considerably with comparison to a high-school dropout.

4. Your parents are still together.

If you grew up in an intact family, your chances of divorce are less in comparison to someone who grew up with divorced parents. This is because so much of what we learn about marriage and marital behavior comes from watching our parents. If our parents developed strategies for staying together, we’ll absorb those strategies in childhood and be able to use them ourselves in our adult relationships.

5. Your income is above $50,000.

Couples with medium to high incomes tend to experience less strife over money management. They have the financial security to worry less about making a living and more about making a life.

6. You have a child together.

Couples with children have a lower risk of divorce compared to childless couples. However, be warned: the most stressful time in a marriage is after the birth of the first child. That’s why it’s so important that the first child is born only after the marriage has developed a strong foundation.