To ask how many of your social circle...

[TheLostNights]

Are still together/married and if they have kids, how old are they?
I felt really depressed reading another thread where someone said that most couples divorce or split once the kids have reached the end of primary school and that if they are married, the husband will most likely be cheating or up to no good in other ways.
Aibu to say good marriages on the whole are common?
My social circle of friends (About 7 of us) are still happily married and our kids range from 3-12 years. Aibu to say we are not the minority?!

Of my group of 7, six are couples (four have children ranging 7ish to 16ish) and one is single. Nobody has separated, everyone seems happy.
I think out of all the weddings I have attended in my life (late 40s, so a lot - 40?) there have been five divorces - two friends, three family.

I don't have a big social circle. But my best friend has been very happily married for almost 14 years and their daughter turns 13 in September. The only other married couple I actually know well are my grandparents and they have been married for 50ish years now I think. My mum married when I was an adult and then her husband did a runner on her. My dad married when I was little but got divorced and hasn't remarried even though he's been with his girlfriend for something like 20 years or so now.

The only people in my close circle of friends who have split up were the one couple without children. That said, all of us probably got married/had dc slightly later (I'm in 40s now), so I definitely think that has something to do with it.

Most of my school friends got married and had dc quite young (20s) and most of them are divorced now. Obviously, that doesn't go for everyone, but I think it's much more about did you rush into a relationship or were you old enough to really know who you are/what you want before marriage and kids?

Out of our original group of friends (40 years ago and 10 couples), we are the only couple still with the same partner, 37 years and counting! Didn't get married as I didn't want to; had a civil partnership this year as it is not a marriage! And no kids because nature didn't see fit. Life and coupledom is what you make it. My parents were together for 60 years!

No affairs but three out of ten of my immediate group are divorced, early 40s. I can see a few more happening in the group, me included.

6 of us in my circle.

Friend one divorced after 2 years. Child was primary age
Friend three divorced after 10 years children primary/early secondary

I'm married 15 years, mix of primary & secondary kids and marriage is still going strong. Ditto for my other friends.

I’m in my mid 40’s, I’ve been married for getting on for 20 years. In my circle and family the vast majority are still on their first marriage. Of those whose long term relationships have broken up I can think of only two that were married (and they were the only two who had kids). In my circle, those that married seem to stay married, and those who just lived together are more likely to split at some point. I know very few unmarried people if I really think about it.

I know of two neighbours who cheated together and broke up a marriage and a long term relationship, both sets had children- although the couple who weren’t married the kids were his, not hers. They still seem to be together, living next door to each other and their partners left.

All of them. Kids ranging from 0-5 years old.

The majority of divorces/separations have been since we hit mid-40s, kids ranging from 10-20 yrs.

I have a handful of friends who are still married. My BF has just reached 27 yrs together. Bloody good going if you ask me.
Genuine model relationship.
A few others are hovering around the 10-25 yr mark.
Everyone is under 50.

Oh, half of message got cut off…

Up until about four years ago, just about everyone I knew was still married or in LTR and had been for around 20-25 years. Lockdown was a major catalyst, all that time to face up to uncomfortable facts we were doing our best to ignore.

That and there must be something about hitting your mid 40s! Nearly all the recent splits have been driven by the women. No one had affairs.

I'm in my late 40s.

Most couples still married. A few divorces. But most still together.

My close group of 6 of us

Only one is still with her husband- rest of us are on our 2nd DPs/DHs and families.

The married ones DH is blatantly cheating, we all know and have told her. He has tried it on with 2 of us- she is desperately happy but will never leave.

Mine is 50/50, national average I guess. Interestingly, those who have been divorced, usually have been divorced more than once.

I know of 3 couples still together and all the rest are divorced/single. Yes all have older children. I am separated after 27 years together and this happened when kids left school. We just grew apart and wanted different things in life. People change a lot after 20 odd years together and that has been the case for the majority of the separated couples.