The number of long-lasting marriages has increased. According to the 2010 census, more than 50% of married couples have been married at least 15 years, about 33% for 25 years and 6% for more than 50 years. According to demographers and sociologists who study families, one reason for longer-lasting marriages is people are marrying later in life – after completing their education. They are more mature and financially secure. In fact, people who are college educated, more affluent or more religious are likelier to stay married. A proposal is more than an "educated guess".

People who aren't college-educated, more affluent or more religious are less likely to get married. If they do, they're more likely to get divorced. People without a college degree are 3 times likelier to divorce within the first 10 years than those with a college degree. That's according to the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. According to the 2010 census, divorce rates have leveled off since peaking in the early 1980's. Approximately 40% of marriages end in divorce and most divorces occur within the first eight years. However, nearly 33% of adults never marry. That number has increased in every age group over the past 15 years. Obviously, those people are "single-minded".

Whether a spouse cheats depends more on power than gender. A study published in the journal Psychological Science surveyed 1,561 professional workers to measure how powerful they perceived themselves, how confident, how likely to consider cheating and how often they had cheated. Out of 1,250 people answering the cheating questions, 26.3% had cheated - the more powerful the person – male or female – the more likely he/she was to cheat. The reason we hear more about men cheating is because more men are in power. As power in business shifts, more women will be unfaithfully "men-acing".

Finally, household chores affect women and men differently. A study published in the Journal of Family Psychology was comprised of 30 dual-earner couples, each with at least 1 child ages 8-10. The average age was 41; the average marriage was 13 years. During 4 days of videotaping, cortisol levels in saliva – which increase with stress – were measured repeatedly. The wives' cortisol levels dropped when their husbands helped with housework. However, the husbands' cortisol levels dropped when their wives were doing housework and they were relaxing. Undoubtedly, before couples are married their "courtisol" levels are much more equal.

About the Author:
Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting card companies. Presently she writes a 400-word news blog that is published 3 times a week. KNIGHT WATCH is a second look at uniquely interesting news items that requires only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com.