35
ISSUES: Marriage
Chapter 2: Divorce
Parents who share family time at meals
are less likely to get divorced
Parents who share family time during meals – without the TV on – are less likely to
get divorced.
D
ivorce risk is less in families who
eat together – but only if the TV
isn’t switched on.
Researchers have found that families
who spend 30 more minutes per day
than other families in family mealtimes
have a 30% less risk of parental
separation – but only if the TV isn’t on
during the meal.
The study of 5,604 families looked at
a host of other factors that might be
connected with the chances of parental
separation, but didn’t find any links.
Having the TV on at mealtimes removed
the positive association between family
mealtimes and family stability.
Just as interesting were factors that
weren’t conducive to a reduction in
the chance of separation; they included
religious observance and the time that
fathers spend alone with their children.
Poor relationship quality, of course, is a
strong predictor of separation, but when the researchers
controlled for relationship quality, family mealtimes with
the TV off stood out.
The researchers, Professor Ariel Kalil at the University of
Chicago and Mari Rege at the University of Stavanger in
Norway, explored what might connect mealtimes without
TV to a reduction in the chances of family separation.
Evidence suggests that when families
share mealtimes with conversation,
mothers are more positive about marital
quality and happier with the relationship.
Perhaps the key is the opportunity for
communication that mealtimes afford,
provided the TV is off.
Further reading
Kalil A & Rege M, We Are Family: Fathers’
Time with Children and the Risk of
Parental Relationship Dissolution, Social
Forces (2015) doi:10.1093/sf/sov076
24 May 2016
Ö
Ö
The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from the Child
& Family Blog. Please visit www.
childandfamilyblog.com for further
information.
© Child & Family Blog 2017
How rewarding, if at all, is your relationship with your partner?
Source: I
t takes two, couples relationships in the UK
, Relate, 2017
Not at all
A little
Somewhat
Mostly
Almost
completely
Completely
3%
7%
12%
22%
25%
32%
