The Average Bad Marriage Lasts Nine Years Before a Separation

Wondering how much longer you'll be stuck in your marriage?  A new study out of Australia found that the average 'bad' marriage lasts 8.7 years. That's eight years, eight months, and 12 days before a separation. And then it's 12.3 years, or 12 years, three months, and 18 days, before the divorce is final.

Interestingly, those numbers are actually significantly up from 30 years ago.

In the early 1980s, the average separation happened after 7.5 years, or one year, two months, 12 days earlier than today.  And the average divorce happened after 10.2 years, or two years, one month, and six days sooner.

The number of marriages lasting at least 20 years has also increased from 20% in 1980 to 24% in 2000 to 28% in 2009. The study found that marriages are more stable than people who live together without making things legal. Cohabitating couples are between three and five times more likely than married couples to split up.

What exactly constitutes a 'bad' marriage? That's really open for speculation, or the individual to answer.