The 8 reasons marriages fail.

by Mamamia Team July 11, 2014

“When you look at the statistics, keeping a marriage alive can seem like a pretty hard task.”

When you look at the statistics, keeping a marriage alive can seem like a pretty hard task. Reports vary depending on several factors, such as the age at which you marry – however, the figures are generally discouraging – sitting anywhere between 30% and 60% of all marriages ending in divorce.

While there are hundreds of problems that can lead to a relationship break-up, the following are eight of the most common:

1. Lack of communication

There’s a distinct difference between talking and communicating. It can be far too easy to slip into a routine where you’re not really hearing what your partner is saying, or not conveying your deeper feelings. Think how often you see a couple out at dinner together, each of them looking at social media on their phones rather than interacting with one another.

2. Lack of affection and intimacy

So many factors can affect the romance in your relationship and of course, your sex life.

How many people do you know that answer the simple question of “how have you been?” with, “busy.”

Juggling work, family and a myriad of other things leads to exhaustion, which leads to a shift in priorities and so often affection and intimacy is neglected.

3. Financial problems

Money is the root of all evil. That’s how the saying goes isn’t it? The constant struggle to get on top of your bills, to keep up your mortgage payments or perhaps to enter the housing market. It’s an added stress that can quickly take its toll on a relationship.

Gambling can become a huge problem for a marriage.

4. Gambling

Of course, I’m not talking about getting dressed up for the odd day at the races or a flutter on the Melbourne Cup. Rather, it’s when gambling begins to draw your focus away from your family and from your marriage that issues can arise. Gambling has a significant impact on relationships in Australia, with about 1,600 gambling-related divorces each year. For every person who experiences problems with gambling, a further five to 10 people are affected.

5. Boredom and cheating

After several years together, it can be difficult to keep things exciting. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day monotony and to wake up one day and wonder if this is the life you really wanted. This can lead to resentment or perhaps one of you turning to someone else.

6. Lack of commitment to the relationship

When a couple stops behaving as a team, when they’re not caring for one another or not invested in one another’s lives, then the disintegration of their relationship is almost certain.

7. Expectation versus reality

Once the honeymoon is over, it’s common for the ongoing relationship to lose some of its pre-wedding sparkle, and more so when major life changes take place. Once kids are in the picture, or when someone makes a big career change, the reality can often be considerably different from the initial expectation.

8. Time management

If your work and home schedules are incompatible, it’s easy to become like passing ships in the night, never really spending quality time together, perhaps with one person taking on the burden of running the house-hold or one person carrying the weight of supporting the family financially.

The good news is that recognition of these risk factors is the first step to finding a solution, or preventing the problems from occurring in the first place. Here are a few ideas to take back control:

Marriages are hard work. Even these celebrity marriages couldn’t be salvaged …

Katy Perry and Russell Brand split last year after 14 months of marriage

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes

Olympic swimmer Kieran Perkins and his wife Symantha have split after 15 years of marriage.

Heidi Klum and Seal announced their split in January after seven years together

Delta and Brian McFadden split in 2011 after a seven-year relationship

Natalie Imbruglia and Daniel Johns announced their divorce in 2008 after getting together in 1999

Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries - okay, maybe we saw this one coming, but not so soon - the pair was married for only 72 days