A recent study suggests couples with teenage daughters are more likely to divorce than those with teenage boys. Does this mean that adolescent girls are responsible for the break up of their parents’ marriage?
No child is ever responsible for their parents divorcing. Yet, children often feel they are to blame. Assuring them that the break up of your marriage is nothing to do with them is essential to their well-being.
How do the age and gender of your children affect the chances of divorce?
Researchers tried to spot patterns in how children’s age and gender relates to the probability that their parents divorce. Here is what they found:
- Children younger than 12: The study found no difference in the divorce rate between parents with sons and those with daughters.
- Children aged 13 to 18: Having teenage daughters rather than teenage boys increased the risk of divorce by 5%. The difference was highest with children aged 15. Parents of girls were 10% more likely to divorce than those of boys.
- Children aged 19 or over: The study found no difference between parents with male or female children.
There are many possible reasons for the disparity between parents of teenage daughters and boys. Further research found one possible explanation may be how well a father relates to a teenage daughter or son. They discovered that fathers who grew up with sisters were no more likely to divorce if they had a teenage daughter than if they had a teenage son.
If you handle your divorce amicably, it will be easier for your children. It allows them to understand that end of a relationship is not always someone’s fault.