Higher well-being with similar partner? Testing the similarity hypothesis for socio-demographic characteristics

Abstract

Studies on marriage and divorce often assume, explicitly or implicitly, that there is a positive relationship between partner similarity and well-being. We test this similarity hypothesis: do individuals who share more socio-demographic characteristics with their partners report higher well-being than individuals whose partners are less similar? We analyzed information on more than 2,300 married and cohabiting couples aged 18-50 from the UK Understanding Society wave 1 survey. Three dimensions of well-being were assessed: relationship quality, life satisfaction and psychological distress. We examined similarity on seven characteristics separately and as an index of similarity: age, father’s class, education, ethnicity, religiosity, native language, and parental divorce. The results provided no support for the similarity hypothesis: there was no evidence for a positive association between partner similarity and the three well-being measures. We discuss the implications of this finding for our understanding of partner choice and divorce.

Spousal religious difference, marital satisfaction, and psychological well‐being of Chinese older adults

“…The significant relationship between spousal religious difference and marital satisfaction among the woman sample is consistent with the similarity hypothesis and previous empirical studies showing the influence of religious homogamy on marriage satisfaction (e.g., Verbakel & Monden, 2018). Religious difference may cause differences in couples' worldviews, values, and lifestyles, bringing marital conflicts and influencing marital satisfaction.…”

“…According to the partner similarity hypothesis, the similarity between couples is beneficial for the quality of the relationship and the couples' individual well‐being, whereas spousal differences can do the opposite (Verbakel & Monden, 2018). In addition, based on the preference theory and the exogamy‐strain hypothesis, spouses' similarity is positively and significantly associated with marital quality and marital satisfaction is reported to be lower in exogamous couples than in endogamous couples (Hohmann‐Marriott & Amato, 2008).…”