Apparently, the tossed around “fact” that “half of all marriages end in divorce” is not true.
WHAT?
A recent piece published in the New York Times’ blog section, “Upshot” suggests that not only is he divorce rate not 50%, but that divorce rates are actually falling, and have been for the last two decades. But what about all that data that proved otherwise? Well, it looks like the divorce rates that were noted in the late 1970s and early 1908s might have just been a “historical anomaly,” and not the trend. In fact, as the story finds, nearly 70 percent of couples that entered holy matrimony in the 1990s reached their 15th anniversary. That rate is up from the nearly 65 percent of marriages that began in the 1970s and 1980s. And couples who married during the 2000s look to be divorcing at even lower rates.
REASONS BEHIND NEW STATS?
So what are the reasons behind this new trend? Perhaps the 1970s feminist movement, according to economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfer. With more women entering the work force, demanding more birth control, and gaining more power financially and economically, marriage changed from its standard tradition of woman at home, barefoot in the kitchen to its “modern-day form, based on love and shared passions, and often two incomes and shared housekeeping duties.”
Additionally, people are getting hitched later in life. People are more concentrated on establishing careers before “settling down” to start a family. During the 1950s, the median age for marriage was 23 for men and 20 for women. And in 2004 that changed to 27 for men and 26 for women. Being more “established” in your life and career seems to also mean creating more stable marriages.
DIVORCE MORE ACCEPTED
Divorce is not more accepted, socially. Prior to the 1970s and 1980s, it was not as “okay” to get divorced, which meant a lot of people just stayed in unhappy marriages. Now that it’s more accepted, and a lot of people have experience divorces or know people that have experience divorces, it’s more okay to say, “I’m unhappy in this situation.” The spike seen in the 1970s and 1980s might have been the rise of people stepping out of their unhappiness. If you’re thinking about a divorce, you should consider working with a family law and divorce attorney that can help you through what can be a difficult process.
For advice on divorce, you need the expert law firm of (619) DIVORCE, APC.. Schedule a consultation today.
Source: The Huffington Post, The Truth About The Divorce Rate Is Surprisingly Optimistic, December 2, 2014
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