It’s the ultimate nightmare, isn’t it? You’ve moved in together because rents are stratospheric and your relationship had so much promise. You’d merged kitchen equipment, DVDs and you’ve probably even done a poo with the other person in earshot. Living together was going well. But then, all of a sudden, the cracks begin to show and things take a turn for the worse. You loathe his Netflix selections and the starfish + snoring combination he does when he sleeps.
For the last four months, you’ve essentially been sleeping in a postage stamp size section of the bed that YOU bought in Ikea and your temper is beginning to fray. Suddenly, everything that your loving boyfriend does, from talking to breathing, is making you incandescent with rage and you’ve realised what a massive mistake you’ve made moving in with him so soon. Especially since you’ve been splitting the rent with him and you actually can’t afford to move out, so breaking up isn’t really an option. Bugger.
And it looks like it’s a nightmare a load of us are living at the moment. According to new research, one in five of us stay in unhappy relationships because we can’t afford to break up. And it’s no great surprise that London has the highest level of couples staying together because of financial reasons (have you seen the rent for a double room in a shared house recently?).
The poll, which was conducted on behalf on DebtAdvisoryCentre.co.uk, found that nearly a fifth (18.9 per cent) of us have stayed with a partner purely due to financial reasons – with two fifths staying in an unhappy relationship for a year or more. Respondents aged 25-34 were the most likely to stay together because of money, which isn’t really that much of a shock considering how little that age group earns on average.
Doesn’t make for jolly reading, does it? Spokesman for Debt Advisory Centre Ian Williams said: ‘It’s shocking to hear that so many people feel forced to stay in a relationship for longer than they want to because of their finances, but it’s perhaps not that surprising. It’s tough to end the bonds we create in a relationship, and financial ties can often be the hardest to break.
‘Joint debts, mortgages or rent and childcare costs all play a part in people choosing to stay in a relationship when love breaks down, if they think they’d be unable to afford these costs alone. Data for Debt Advisory Centre last year revealed 12 per cent of people seeking debt help did so as a result of a relationship break-up.’
That flat-share with three random international students in the worst house on a bad street suddenly isn’t looking so bad, is it?
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophiecullinane
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.