Aries Marriage, Divorce, and Compatibility Studies

Aries marriage: Which signs are Aries most likely to marry? Which signs are most compatible with Aries? Are there signs Aries marry less often? Are Aries more likely to divorce those of certain signs? Which sign is the best love match for Aries?

Astrologers believe that Aries are most compatible with other fire signs (Leo, Sagittarius, and other Aries) and certain air signs (Gemini and Aquarius), but are there any marriage or divorce statistics to support this? Four large studies were conducted in various nations to answer these questions.

Studies of Aries Marriage and Divorce

In the late 1990s Gunter Sachs examined marriage and divorce rates for the 12 sun signs using data from nearly a million people in Switzerland. He found that Aries men were most likely to marry Aries women and had a below-average rate of marriage with Scorpio women. He also found some statistically significant differences for divorce rates, including an above-average divorce rate with Leos and a below-average rate with Aries women. All other differences in marriage and divorce rates were small.

Aries men’s marriage partners, in descending order of frequency, were as follows (*indicates that the result was statistically significant, in other words, too big a difference to attribute to random chance):

1. Aries*
2. Leo
3. Taurus
4. Gemini
5. Pisces (same marriage rate as Gemini)
6. Virgo
7. Libra
8. Capricorn
9. Aquarius
10. Cancer
11. Sagittarius
12. Scorpio*

Sachs found that Aries women were more likely to marry Aries, Sagittarius, or Leo men, and had a lower-than-average marriage rate with Cancer men. Marriages for Aries women, in descending order of frequency, were as follows:

1. Aries*
2. Sagittarius*
3. Leo*
4. Pisces
5. Aquarius
6. Capricorn
7. Libra
8. Taurus
9. Gemini
10. Scorpio
11. Virgo
12. Cancer*

The findings of this study provide some support for astrological predictions because Aries are expected to be compatible with others of their own sign as well as other fire signs. They are also expected to clash badly with Scorpios, as both tend to be headstrong and have a high need for control (and because Aries flirtatiousness combined with Scorpio jealousy can create a combustible mix). Traditional astrologers also believe that Aries do not match well with Cancers unless other elements in their natal zodiacs are more compatible because Cancers can find Aries insensitive while Aries find Cancers oversensitive.

While most of the findings Sachs study findings align with astrological predictions, the higher-than-average divorce rate for Aries men and Leo women is surprising, as Aries and Leo should be compatible. However, both tend to have forceful, dominant personalities, which may create problems for some of these unions.

A couple of years after Sachs published the results of his study, Didier Castille conducted similar research, examining trends for millions of marriages in France (he did not include divorce rates in his study). Castille also found that Aries men married Aries women most often. The order of marriage frequency with Aries men in France was as follows (though most marriage rate differences were small):

1. Aries*
2. Taurus
3. Pisces
4. Leo
5. Aquarius
6. Gemini
7. Sagittarius
8. Virgo
9. Capricorn
10. Libra
11. Cancer
12. Scorpio

In addition to finding the highest marriage rate for Aries-Aries pairings, Castille found that Aries women were least likely to marry Virgo men. Marriage pairings with Aries women from most to least frequent were as follows (as with Aries men, most of the marriage rate differences were small):

1. Aries*
2. Pisces
3. Gemini
4. Capricorn
5. Sagittarius
6. Libra
7. Aquarius
8. Leo
9. Taurus
10. Cancer
11. Scorpio
12. Virgo*

    

The Castille study also yielded findings consistent with astrological predictions, as two Aries should have similar lifestyle preferences, whereas Virgo’s sensible approach to life may clash with Aries’ propensity for risk taking. However, it should be noted that as with the Sachs study, differences in marriage rates weren’t that large for most sun sign combinations, and there were plenty of marriages between supposedly incompatible signs.

Another study of marriages and divorces by sun sign was conducted in Sweden by Helgertz and Scott in 2020. This was the only longitudinal study of astrological marriage and divorce rates, which included data from 1968 to 2001 encompassing more than 66,000 marriages. These researchers also found some sun sign differences in both marriage and divorce rates, but they were small and often did not accord with astrological predictions. For example, Aries index individuals in the study had particularly high marriage rates with the theoretically compatible signs of Aries and Gemini, but also with the less compatible sign of Taurus. Moreover, marriage rates were on the lower end of the spectrum for the incompatible signs of Scorpio and Capricorn, but also for the compatible sign of Sagittarius. Because the distribution of marriages appeared to be random rather than aligning with notions of astrological compatibility, the authors concluded that sun signs don’t influence marriage rates in Sweden.

As for divorce rates, one of Helgertz and Scott’s research models suggested that divorce was a bit higher among astrologically incompatible couples, but the effect was small enough to be dismissed as negligible. Another research model showed lower divorce rates not only for the most compatible pairs, but also the least compatible pairs, while matches with average compatibility had the highest divorce rate. Additional study models provided more mixed results, but overall, they failed to show a pattern that would consistently support astrological predictions. Other factors such as history of prior divorces, education levels, and whether or not the couple had children living at home were much better predictors of divorce.

There was also a UK study conducted by Voas in 2001 using census data spanning millions of marriages. Voas found no statistically significant differences in marriage likelihood based on sun signs.

What accounts for the different findings of the four large-scale studies? It’s possible that people who believe in astrology are more likely to choose marriage partners they think will be compatible, thereby ensuring that there are more astrologically compatible marriages in certain nations. It’s also possible that the methodologies of some of the studies were flawed.

Astrologers would argue that sun signs alone don’t give a true idea of compatibility. Two people with incompatible sun signs may have very compatible rising signs and moon signs or other favorable placements in their natal zodiacs (the positions of all the planets at the time of a person’s birth). Therefore, you would need to look at the entire natal zodiacs of the two partners to get a real sense of compatibility.

Which Sign Is the Best Match for Aries Marriage?

The findings of the Sachs and Castille studies suggest that Aries pairs best with the fire signs, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius, in accordance with astrological beliefs. However, there are plenty of happy relationships with supposedly mismatched sun-sign pairings and having a few differences can give a relationship a bit of an edge that keeps things from getting boring.

If you want to get a better idea of your astrological compatibility with another person, you can visit a site such as Astro.com and enter your birth data (birthday, birthplace, and birth time) to create an chart that lists all your astrological placements. This chart will include factors important to compatibility such as your rising sign (your outer personality, or the mask you wear for the world), your moon sign (you inner personality or emotional life), Mercury (your communication style), Venus (your approach to love and friendship), and Mars (your approach to sexuality and your competitive instincts). If you also have your partner’s birth data, you can look at their placements as well. Most people only know their sun signs, but although the sun sign (core personality) is important, it’s just one element in a more complex dynamic that shapes personality.

Note: If you don’t have your birth time, you can’t learn your rising sign (ascendant), but you can still find all your other planetary placements.

More About Aries

Aries Personality Profile

More About Astrology

Read about other sun signs: Taurus * Gemini * Cancer * Leo * Virgo * Libra * 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.

Pre-Wedding image courtesy of Arztsamui, www.freedigitalphotos.net.