Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between spouses’ religious attendance and the quality of their marriage.

Wives who attended religious services weekly with their husbands reported higher levels of marital happiness than peers in marriages in which neither the wife nor the husband attended services weekly.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from Wave 2 of the National Survey of Families and Households (1992-1994), a nationally representative sample of American adults ages 23 and older. The analytical sample consisted of 5,010 couples. On average, couples in the analytical sample were 46 years old (wives) and 49 years old (husbands); married for 23 years; 7 percent African American and 7 percent Hispanic. Overall, 17 percent of the husbands and 16 percent of the wives in the analytical sample had been previously divorced.

Source
"What’s Love Got to Do with It?: Equality, Equity, Commitment and Women’s Marital Quality"
Wilcox, W. Bradford
Nock, Steven
Social Forces Vol. 84, Number 3. March , 2006. Page(s) 1321-1345.

FindingID: 8847