Gender Differences in breakups?

Posted on 03. Sep, 2009 by lisa in Distance Factors, Other sites

There is ample evidence that long distance relationships can and do work. Both anecdotally (both mine and your relationship are long distance) and scientifically, research has repeatedly shown that LDRs are no more likely to fail than proximal relationships. Here is an interesting theory about what started all the “long distance relationships don’t work” rumours – suggesting that at the root is the ease of blaming the distance when couples break up:

Interestingly, research has shown that women tend to find fault within the relationship, seeing the breakup as resulting from interpersonal problems (“We’re just not right for each other”), while men are more likely to try to place the blame on something outside of the relationship, such as too much time apart. While the studies have shown that LDRs stay together just as frequently (or infrequently) as other relationships, we often try to blame the distance when they do fail. Admittedly, it is easier to say, “Everything would have been fine had we lived closer,” than to say that things didn’t work out because of some issue with the relationship or ourselves. In fact, this tendency to blame the distance usually ends up in a more amicable breakup. However, this also means that many people firmly believe that LDRs don’t work. Fortunately, the research shows that this isn’t true.

What do you think about this?