University of Michigan Study Examines Divorce

A new study done by the University of Michigan is about how fighting styles in marriage effect divorce rates. The study has been running since 1986, and includes enough minority couples to enable the study of differences between whites and minorities in fighting styles and divorce rates. The study found that a particularly damaging fighting style is when one partner tries to deal with a problem constructively, and the other partner withdraws. Women are less likely to withdraw over time, either because relationships are more important to them in general, or because their problems are more likely to be worked out.