Little do we know that retirement can negatively affect one’s marriage. For those nearing their retirement years, we actually look forward to many days of togetherness that was once impossible. Truth is, retirement can even cause stress to an otherwise healthy and peaceful marriage. Some even considered retirement as a test to one’s marriage.
According to studies made to married seniors, those who have retired at the same time had a higher success rate than those who belonged to one-working spouse household whereas, marital conflicts are expected to occur once retirement has been reached. Working after retirement, whether as part-time or fulltime, also has noticeable effects on how the marriage will fare. Bottomline is, everybody is expected to still be active in order not to be dubbed as a nuance in the house!
Gender-wise, women achieved greater satisfaction if they land a parttime job they truly enjoy after retiring thus a marriage that will still be satisfactory amidst all situations while it was reported that men are most happy if they will stop working altogether during their retirement years. This outlook alone poses a great challenge to many marriages regardless of age.
There are certain significant issues that come with retirement and marriage. For one, there is the financial stability that plagues many senior marriages. One study I found discusses why seniors prefer to cohabitate despite the fact that they really wanted to get married. It seems that as the years continue to pile up our personal calendars, the trickier the law has become. Now that everybody is experiencing financial stress, the more important it has become to be more financially secured come retirement. Another relevant reason why retirement is fast becoming an issue to a married couple is that retirement is known to disrupt established daily patterns for both spouses. Due to many years of living together under the same roof but never really knowing how to interact with each other every single day, your nonworking retirement years become so bothersome that sometimes you find yourself wishing you never retired! Another case in point is when the other half was forced to retire early to take care of an ailing spouse. Some professional, working women fear retirement just because they believe they will lose their identities when they do.
Responsibility plays a big role in a retired household. Before retirement, duties and responsibilities are clear but come big day, roles become as murky as mud. The responsibility of entertaining the other half will then fall unto the shoulders of the eversince-nonworking spouse which he or she will oblige—albeit hatefully. Also, as to where the financial side of things will come from proves to be an obstacle too.
