Since divorce rates began to rise following the Women’s Rights movement’s pushes for better treatment in marriage and in the divorce court, it’s become commonplace to engage in hand-wringing over the rising divorce rate. Marriage isn’t what it used to be, claim the disapproving. Cynical people commonly bring up the statistic that 50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce.
But as it turns out, it’s simply not the case anymore that half of all marriages end in divorce. In fact, the divorce rate in the United States is dropping. 70% of marriages (beginning in the 90s) are seeing 15th anniversaries. Marriages beginning in the 2000s seem even more likely to last. If current statistical marriage trends continue, couples married in the 2000s will have only a 33% divorce rate.
As with all similar cultural trends, contributing factors are complicated. A lower divorce rate doesn’t necessarily mean that married couples are happier. Today, more people are getting married and having children later in life than ever. This may be positive for marriages and for families, as more mature, worldly people are choosing to enter marriage and raise children.
This decline in divorce rates also isn’t the same across the board. College educated couples are now less likely to divorce, but divorce rates among working class people have remained around 50%. The overall number of couples getting married has also declined. It’s difficult to determine a concrete hypothesis for this phenomenon.
With same sex marriage becoming legal in more states across the United States, lowered divorce rates aren’t the only changes happening to marriage today. This cultural institution is continually in flux, and the next decade may bring entirely new and unexpected trends.
If you need assistance with your case, contact our experienced Fairfax divorce attorneys today at (888) 530-4374 to schedule a consultation. We can provide compassionate, strategic help throughout the process and give you back peace of mind and the strength to rebound from your crisis.