Contrary to Popular Belief, National Divorce Rate is Declining

You’ve probably heard the statistic thrown around that 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce, and that the amount of divorces in America is increasing all the time. However, a recent piece from the New York Times suggests that neither of these “facts” are true.

The following are few of the facts presented in that study:

• Approximately 70 percent of people that were married in the 1990s hit their 15^th anniversary, which is up from 65 percent in the 70s and 80s. So far, couples that were married in the 2000s are getting divorced at even lower rates than that.
• If numbers continue to decline at the rate that they have been, an estimated two thirds of all marriages will not involve divorce.

There are several potential reasons proposed for these statistics. One is the feminist movement of the 1970s. Marriages in which the woman has gone through higher education or where both the man and woman have similar education levels are less likely to end in divorce. The same is true in marriages where both partners take an equal role in sharing housekeeping and child rearing duties.

Another possible reason is the fact that people are marrying later in life than they were in past decades. In the 1950s, men were getting married on average at age 23 and women at age 20. Now, those numbers are approaching 28 and 26.

Although the divorce rate appears to be declining, millions of people across the U.S. face the challenge of divorce each year. If this is the case for you, be sure to consult an experienced family law attorney with Bryan L. Salamone & Associates right away.