Libra marriage: Are Libras more likely to marry or divorce particular sun signs? Which sign is the best match for Libra?
Based on beliefs about astrological compatibility, Libras should get along well with the air signs (Gemini, Aquarius, and other Libras) and some of the fire signs (Leo and Sagittarius), but are there any marriage and divorce statistics to back this up? A few researchers have explored these questions using census data to look at trends in marriage and divorce based on sun signs, and the results are summarized below.
Four Studies of Marriage and Divorce by Sun Sign: Findings for Libra
In 1998, Gunter Sachs examined sun sign trends in Switzerland using census data for nearly a million people. He found that Libras were most likely to marry other Libras, and that Libra-Libra pairs had the lowest divorce rate, though Libra men had an above-average divorce rate with Aries women. The following is a ranking of marriages with Libra men in descending order of frequency. Most of the differences in marriage rates were small (* indicates that the difference was statistically significant, in other words, larger than you would expect to find by chance):
- Libra*
- Leo
- Gemini
- Cancer
- Sagittarius
- Capricorn
- Virgo
- Aquarius
- Taurus
- Pisces (the marriage rate was the same for Pisces and Aries)
- Aries
- Scorpio
Libra women in Switzerland had an above-average marriage rate with Taurus and Libra men, and a lower-than-average marriage rate with Pisces men. They also had a below-average divorce rate with Libra men, but their divorce rate with Leo men was slightly above average. The following is a list of Libra women’s marriage partners in descending order of frequency, though differences were small for all but Taurus, Libra, and Pisces:
- Taurus*
- Libra*
- Gemini
- Virgo
- Scorpio
- Leo
- Aries
- Aquarius
- Sagittarius
- Capricorn
- Cancer
- Pisces*
It’s unsurprising to see Libra-Libra pairs making it to the altar more frequently and having good staying power in most cases. Libras tend to be diplomatic and inclined to avoid conflict, so they’re less likely to blow their unions apart with explosive fights. Moreover, two Libras are likely to have shared traits and lifestyle preferences.
Although Taurus is not considered exceptionally compatible with Libra by many astrologers, there is actually a good foundation for the Libra-Taurus match. While the two may be somewhat different in their needs and outlooks on life, both are tolerant and not inclined toward arguing, and they share a love of domestic harmony and a need for comfortable and beautiful surroundings. Moreover, Taurean strength and decisiveness will appeal Libras, and because Libras tend to be accommodating, they are less likely to provoke the infamous Taurus stubbornness.
It’s also no surprise to find that Libra men are more likely to divorce Aries women. Aries address issues by tackling them head on, whereas Libras hate to argue, so these two may develop a pattern in which Aries picks fights and Libra gives in or retreats, resulting in mutual resentment and communication breakdown. However, it should be noted that the differences in divorce rates aren’t that large and plenty of Libra-Aries marriages have had good staying power. If other elements in the natal zodiacs of the Libra-Aries partners (such as rising signs or moon signs) are more compatible, this can be a better match than expected.
Libra women also had a lower-than-average marriage rate with Pisces men, in accordance with astrological predictions. Pisceans are often quite sensitive, intuitive, and prone to emotional extremes. Libras, by contrast, tend to be somewhat emotionally detached and intellectual in their approach to problems and they crave balance and harmony, so this clash of emotional styles may be a problem for some couples. However, the divorce rate was not higher than average for this pairing, so the Libra-Pisces couples who find enough common ground to marry don’t have a relationship disadvantage.
Castille (2000) conducted similar research in France using marriage statistics spanning more than 20 years and including over 6 million marriages. Many of his findings were similar to those of Sachs regarding marriage rates (Castille did not look at divorce rates).
Like Sachs, Castille found that Libra men married Libra women most often, though differences in marriages rates with other signs were small. Marriage rates with Libra men in France are listed in descending order of frequency below:
- Libra*
- Virgo
- Leo
- Sagittarius
- Scorpio
- Pisces
- Aries
- Taurus
- Capricorn
- Aquarius
- Gemini
- Cancer
Castille found that Libra women most often chose Libra men for their marriage partners, and that they had a below-average rate of marriage with Pisces and Cancer men in France. The following is a ranking of marriages from most to least frequent with Libra women, though differences in marriage rates were small in most cases:
- Libra*
- Sagittarius
- Leo
- Scorpio
- Virgo
- Gemini
- Aries
- Taurus
- Aquarius
- Capricorn
- Pisces*
- Cancer*
Castille’s findings are similar to those of Sachs, given the higher rates of marriage for Libra-Libra pairs and the lower-than-average marriage rate for Libra women and Pisces men.
Finding a below-average marriage rate between Libra women and Cancer men is unsurprising because Cancers usually prefer to force emotional issues out into the open to clear the air while typical Libras avoid emotionally charged conversations. This may result in some Libra-Cancer pairs developing a problematic dynamic in which Cancer tries to initiate emotionally charged discussions while Libra escapes whenever possible. However, if the Libra and Cancer partners have compatible rising signs or moon signs, their partnership should be far more harmonious.
Not all research on sun-sign marriage rates has yielded results that support astrological notions of compatibility. Voas (2001) examined UK census data for millions of marriages, concluding that sun signs do not influence marriage rates.
Another study, conducted by Helgertz and Scott (2020) in Sweden, was a longitudinal examination of marriage and divorce rates over 24 years to assess whether sun-sign compatibility affected relationship outcomes. While they did find sun sign marriage rate differences, these differences did not align with astrological predictions in many cases, and divorce rates also failed to show a clear pattern. Although one research model suggested that divorce rates were slightly higher among incompatible pairs, the effect was negligibly small. Moreover, breaking the data out by levels of compatibility provided a seemingly random pattern in which signs with what the authors called “so-so” compatibility were more likely to divorce than the most and least compatible pairs. Other research models used by the authors also provided results more suggestive of randomness than astrological patterns.
Why did these studies yield such divergent results? They all used different methodologies, and some methods may have been flawed, producing inaccurate findings. It’s also possible that astrological belief plays a role. If more people in certain times and places believe in astrology, they may select partners based on sun signs, creating the trends in marriage rates themselves. A third possibility (the one favored by astrologers) is that sun signs alone are not a good indicator of overall compatibility. You need to look at other elements in the natal zodiacs of the two partners to get a true measure of compatibility.
Which Sign Is the Best Match for Libra Marriage?
Some research suggests that Libras are best suited to other Libras, and possibly Tauruses as well. Astrologers would add Gemini, Sagittarius, and Aquarius to that list. However, they would also recommend looking at the full natal zodiacs of both partners to get a better sense of compatibility rather than assuming that a relationship is doomed because the sun signs are mismatched. Lots of relationships between theoretically incompatible signs have lasted because people with problematic sun-sign combinations may have very compatible elements in the rest of their natal zodiacs that increase the likelihood of relationship success.
If you’d like to learn about all the placements in your natal zodiac, you can visit a website such as Astro.com and enter your birth data (place of birth, date of birth, and time of birth) to create a chart that provides this information. If you don’t have your birth time, you can’t discover your rising sign, but you can still learn your planetary placements.
When assessing compatibility, look at both partners’ moon signs for a sense of emotional alignment, Mercury for communication styles, Venus for approaches to love and friendship, and Mars for sexual compatibility. Rising signs are also important, because although the sun sign is the core personality, the rising sign indicates the outer persona, or the mask we wear for others.
More About Libra
More About Astrology
Read about other sun signs: Aries * Taurus * Gemini * Cancer * Leo * Virgo * Scorpio * Sagittarius * Capricorn * Aquarius * Pisces
Read about moon signs: Aries Moon * Taurus Moon * Gemini Moon * Cancer Moon * Leo Moon * Virgo Moon * Libra Moon * Scorpio Moon * Sagittarius Moon * Capricorn Moon * Aquarius Moon * Pisces Moon
Learn more about astrology: Astrology FAQ
References:
- Bugler, C. (Ed.) (1992). The Complete Handbook of Astrology. Marshall Cavendish Ltd., Montreal, 1992.
- Castille, D. (2000). Sunny Day for a Wedding. Les Cahiers du RAMS.
- Helgertz, J., & Scott, K. (2020). The validity of astrological predictions on marriage and divorce: a longitudinal analysis of Swedish register data. Genus, 76(1), 1-18.
- Sachs, G. (1998). The Astrology File: Scientific Proof of the Link Between Star Signs and Human Behavior. Orion Books Ltd., London.
- Voas, D. (2007). Ten Million Marriages: A Test of Astrological ‘Love Signs’. Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Survey Research.
- Woolfolk, J.M. (2001). The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need. Madison Books, Lanham, MD.
Bride and Groom Dancing image courtesy of Ponsuwan, www.freedigitalphotos.net.