A Sacramento State sociology professor is conducting a video research project about the increase in couples married longer than 40 years to present to his Changing American Family class in the fall.

The class, which has been taught by Todd Migliaccio for several years, analyzes the American family and focuses on child bearing, courtship, marriage and the family and society.

According to Migliaccio’s research, where increased life expectancy balances out the divorce rate, there is a surprising new culture demographic: More Americans are reaching and passing their 40th wedding anniversaries.

Migliaccio said many college-level family classes, including his own, often focus on the problematic aspects of marriage rather than the good parts. He said the majority of the research material used in classrooms is one-sided.

“Students tend to take (Changing American Family) and only hear about the difficulties of family and all the obstacles and all the statistics,” Migliaccio said, adding that the research project was started because of the class. “Then they come to me and say, “I don’t know if I want to be married.'”

He said he has to remind some of his students that the point of the class is to inform them of the difficulty of marriage, not to discourage them. Migliaccio noted that divorce statistics can be overwhelming for some young people.

Former Sac State student Jayna Record took Migiliaccio’s class a couple of years ago and said the statistics were mind-blowing at times.

“We talked a lot about marriage and divorce,” Record said. “The statistics were overwhelming, but I think the research he is doing now would enhance the class and show a different perspective.”

She said she felt that more professors should present their own research in classrooms and would have appreciated seeing a better balance in statistics.

Migliaccio started his marriage project in January. He said he is not the only person who has researched the positive aspects of marriage, but wants to give his students the perspective of couples in the area.

“One of the things I want (my students) to learn from it is hearing from these couples that successful marriages, long-term marriages, don’t just happen,” he said. “They take work, they take effort, they take focus.”

He said his goal is to help his students understand that marriage doesn’t always end in divorce.

Ray and Susan Tater, who are not part of Migliaccio’s research project, agreed.

The Taters have been married for 25 years and said they have found that the key to a successful marriage is working on their relationship. Susan Tater said keeping their individuality keeps their marriage strong.

“You just have to allow each other to have your own philosophy in life,” Susan Tater said.

Susan Tater is a coordinator in the Academic Technology and Creative Services at Sac State, while her husband, Ray Tater, is the owner of California Stage, a local theater company.

“Because we are singular people, we have to set aside to do things together,” he said, adding that compatibility, communication and friendship are big parts of their marriage.

Migliaccio said he hopes to use his videos to convey the obstacles couples go through and how they overcome them.

Migliaccio has conducted six interviews. He is working with the Hart Senior Center in midtown, but said many of the participants have heard about the project through word of mouth, the media and fliers. He said he plans on conducting interviews through the summer and will interview up to 30 local couples.

Migliaccio plans on publishing the research, but said for now he wants to focus on presenting the videos to his classes.

Nallelie Vega can be reached at [email protected].