What is the secret of a long marriage?

Dr Jacqui Gabb has been invited today to present the Enduring Love? Research Project she is conducting with Dr.Janet Fink in the BBC Radio 4's Women's Hour.

According to the Office of National Statistics the average marriage is expected to last 32 years. So are Ruby, Gold or Diamond weddings becoming a thing of the past and what's the key to a long and happy marriage?

Jacqui explores here why friendship is critical in long-term relationships, and discusses how the idea of love is transfomed in these relationships. Jacqui also revisits the expectations surrounding sex and intimacy. She underlines the importance of finding strategies and ways to work through the stressors and bad times together.

Please listen to the show (the part where Jacqui speaks starts at 29.41)

Jacqui also spoke on the same day at an event organised at Birbeck, London on Living Apart Together: A Multi-Method Analysis. What Have We Learnt?.

The seminar discussed the findings of the EL? Research Project so far. The interim report can be found here.