Forget the seven-year itch: opposite-sex marriages more likely to end after two decades
ONS data for England and Wales shows 26% of heterosexual divorces in 2025 followed 20 years or more of marriage Most couples are aware of the dreaded…
The Guardian reports: ONS data for England and Wales shows 26% of heterosexual divorces in 2025 followed 20 years or more of marriage Most couples are aware of the dreaded “seven-year itch”, when the honeymoon period wears off and real life starts to bite.
Now official data has shown that couples in England and Wales are more likely to split after 20 years.
This lifestyle story centres on the United Kingdom. Names and organisations mentioned in the coverage include England, Wales and ONS.
Why it matters
Lifestyle trends like this can influence everyday choices about health, money, home and family.
Key details
- Location
- United Kingdom · Europe
- Reported by
- The Guardian
- First reported
- Key names
- England, Wales, ONS, Office for National Statistics
- Section
- Lifestyle
- Figure cited
- According to Office for National Statistics figures, more than a quarter of all divorces between opposite-sex couples happened after 20 years or longer of marriage. (The Guardian)
Sources
This is an independent summary. Read the full, original reporting from the publisher:
Read the full story at The GuardianSpotted an error? Request a correction · How this summary was produced
Related Stories
Zack Polanski says application of Zionism is racist and no state has right to exist
Green leader in England and Wales calls ‘debates about words’ unhelpful and denies recent motion was controversial Zack Polanski has said Zionism in…
England crush Women's World Cup debutants Wales
England scored seven tries before the break, and 13 in total on their way to a comprehensive victory over Wales in their Group A opener.
No timeline for lifting Land Registry paywall as ownership remains opaque
Emma Reynolds, the previous secretary of state for the environment, announced in March that the paywall protecting large amounts of the Land…
Hundreds of early-release prisoners in England and Wales not being tagged, say MPs
Clive Efford says Serco has failed to source enough tags, as police and probation struggle with influx of newly released offenders UK politics live…
The kindness of strangers: After my wife died, a football club made an extraordinary gesture
My son had only played two seasons for St Mary’s Greensborough, five years earlier.
I've studied over 200 kids—parents who raise resilient, successful children teach them these 6 lessons early on
Parenting coach Reem Raouda shares lessons to help kids feel worthy regardless of achievements and handle disappointment, disagreement and difficult…
Great Pottery Throw Down judge Keith Brymer Jones looks back: ‘Men like seeing me be emotional’
The potter and presenter on a tricky childhood, his religious calling for clay, and cross-dressing as Adele Born in London in 1965, Keith Brymer…
Will there ever again be a band as big as the Beatles or the Stones?
The 2020s have seen many individual pop artists make it big: Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sabrina Carpenter, Harry Styles.