Make Or Break

They say all relationships require work, but sometimes you need to either pull through or pull the plug. We ask the experts how to make that call.

- Truddie McConnochie

Once upon a time, two people fell deeply in love, got married and lived happily ever after. Although endearing, this classic fairytale narrative neatly glosses over the fact that all long-term relationships will likely go through di cult patches, and not all of them will come out the other side – in fact, one in three marriages in Australia and New Zealand will end in divorce. So how can you tell whether a challenging period in your relationship is just a short-term hurdle or whether it’s time to start packing your bags?

Dr Monty Badami, an anthropologist with a special interest in relationships, says it’s completely normal to find yourself looking at your primary relationship from time to time and asking: ‘Is this still what I want?’