5 Major Reasons Why Marriage Among Less Educated People Lasts Longer Than That of the Educated

Nana Kwaku Duah a relationship coach with several years of experience consulting couples across all walks of life, have observed a fascinating trend: marriages among less educated people tend to last longer compared to those of their more educated counterparts. This observation has provoked discussions in seminars, couples’ retreats, and counselling sessions alike.

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The question is simple yet profound: why do unions among less educated individuals often appear more resilient, while those among the highly educated sometimes crumble faster?

Before diving in, let me clarify: this is not to glorify ignorance or to demean education. Education is one of the most powerful tools for personal and societal transformation. However, in the context of marital endurance, certain dynamics unique to less educated couples seem to grant them stronger staying power in the face of adversity.

Let’s explore the five major reasons behind this paradox reasons that challenge our assumptions, stir our emotions, and perhaps make us rethink what truly holds a marriage together.

1. Simplicity of Expectations and Contentment

One of the biggest pressures that educated couples face is the burden of expectations. Higher education often expands a person’s worldview, fuels ambition, and raises standards. While these are admirable traits in personal and professional life, they can become stumbling blocks in marriage.

For instance, an educated spouse may expect their partner to contribute not only emotionally but also financially, intellectually, and socially at very high levels. When these expectations are not met, disappointment creeps in, leading to resentment.

Less educated couples, on the other hand, often operate from a place of simplicity. Their definition of marriage is rooted in companionship, shared labour, and emotional support rather than constant performance. They are content with small wins a meal on the table, healthy children, laughter after a hard day’s work.

Their resilience comes from this ability to find joy in little things. They don’t measure their marriages against lofty ideals of “power couples” or Instagram-perfect standards. They measure it by the consistency of love and togetherness, which sustains them longer than ambition-driven expectations.

2. Stronger Cultural and Traditional Anchors

Education often brings exposure and with exposure comes a desire to challenge traditional norms. Highly educated individuals are more likely to question cultural practices, gender roles, and societal expectations. While this is important for progress, it can sometimes destabilise the traditional glue that holds marriages together.

Among less educated people, cultural and religious values still hold significant sway. Divorce is not seen as an easy escape route but as a last resort after every possible effort has been exhausted. There is often a strong communal expectation to “make it work,” and extended families get involved to mediate and reconcile differences.

This cultural anchoring serves as both a shield and a compass. It prevents couples from giving up at the first sign of difficulty and reminds them of the sacredness of the marital covenant. Even when storms hit, their deeply rooted cultural identity strengthens their resolve to weather them together.

3. Practical Partnership Over Intellectual Compatibility

Educated couples often emphasize intellectual compatibility, stimulating conversations, shared career goals, and “personal growth journeys.” While these are valuable, they sometimes overshadow the simple yet profound principle of practical partnership the ability to work hand-in-hand to meet life’s daily needs.

In less educated marriages, the partnership is highly practical. The husband may be a farmer and the wife a market woman, but together, they pool their resources to feed their children, pay school fees, and build a modest home. Their relationship is defined not by philosophical debates or professional accolades but by joint survival and cooperation.

When both partners feel they are pulling the cart of life together, there is less room for ego battles and more room for mutual respect. Ironically, many educated couples lose this practicality. They become so engrossed in careers, individual success, and personal dreams that they neglect the joint effort required to sustain a household.

Thus, the less educated often outlast the educated simply because they understand marriage as a daily partnership rather than an intellectual contract.

4. Lower Divorce Tolerance and Higher Endurance

Let’s face it: education breeds independence. It equips people with the financial means, awareness of rights, and social confidence to walk away from unfulfilling marriages. While this is empowering, it has also created a culture of lower tolerance for marital difficulties.

Educated individuals may be quicker to leave when communication breaks down, when intimacy wanes, or when financial stress arises. They know they can survive on their own and society increasingly applauds such decisions.

In contrast, less educated couples often endure hardships with remarkable patience. They may not even see separation as an option unless abuse or extreme circumstances make it unavoidable. Their sense of duty, faith, and societal pressure compels them to fight harder for their union.

It is not that they never experience frustration or unhappiness they do. But their threshold for endurance is much higher. They see struggles not as signals to quit but as challenges to overcome together. In this sense, their marriages last longer because they are anchored by the virtue of endurance rather than the ideal of convenience.

5. Emotional Intimacy Over Analytical Thinking

Education teaches people to analyse, critique, and rationalise. While this is beneficial in many areas, it can sometimes undermine emotional intimacy in marriage. Educated couples may overanalyse their partner’s behaviour, psychoanalyse every conflict, or intellectualise emotions instead of simply feeling and expressing them.

Less educated couples often lean more heavily on emotional connection. They may not have the vocabulary of “love languages” or “attachment theory,” but they practice them instinctively. They hug more, laugh more, and argue without holding grudges for too long. Their marriages thrive on emotional closeness rather than intellectual correctness.

This emotional intimacy is what allows them to reconnect quickly after disagreements. They may not attend couples’ therapy or read self-help books, but they master the art of forgiving and moving on.

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Counsellor’s Reflection

As someone who has sat across from both highly educated professionals and simple artisans during counselling sessions, I can say this with conviction: the endurance of marriage is less about education and more about values.

Education equips us with knowledge, but marriage thrives on wisdom. Knowledge tells us what is possible, but wisdom teaches us what is necessary. Less educated couples often draw from the well of wisdom patience, humility, endurance, and gratitude. Educated couples, on the other hand, sometimes drown in the ocean of knowledge without applying wisdom to their union.

This is why I always remind couples, regardless of their background: it is not what you know that sustains your marriage; it is what you practice.

Key Takeaways for Readers

1. Keep expectations realistic – Don’t let ambition blind you to the joy of simplicity.

2. Respect cultural values that strengthen unions – Even if you modernise, don’t discard the timeless principles of patience and family support.

3. Focus on partnership – Marriage is not a competition; it’s a collaboration.

4. Raise your endurance threshold – Not every storm is a reason to quit. Some are there to strengthen your bond.

5. Prioritise emotional intimacy – Love is felt more than it is analysed.

The debate about why marriages among the less educated seem to last longer than those of the educated will continue to stir controversy. Yet, beneath the layers of analysis lies a simple truth: marriage is not sustained by degrees, certificates, or professional titles, but by daily acts of love, patience, and commitment.

Perhaps it is time for the educated elite to relearn some of these lessons from their less educated counterparts. For at the end of the day, whether you hold a PhD or never completed secondary school, the true measure of success in marriage is not how glamorous it looks but how deeply it endures.

Share your thoughts in the comment section below

By: Nana Kweku Duah

Relationship Coach