Divorce Studies: Surprising Factors That Can Predict a Marriage's Longevity

 Posted on October 16, 2015 in Marriage

Although the often-quoted statistic for the current divorce rate in the United States is “50 percent of marriages end in divorce,” the truth is actually much more complicated than this. The divorce rate is considerably higher for individuals in their second or subsequent marriages than those in their first marriages. Other factors, like each partner's education level, the age at which the couple married, and the number of children the couple has and their sexes can play a role in whether a married couple will divorce.

Divorces can be complicated. If you are considering ending your marriage, contact an experienced divorce attorney to learn more about your responsibilities as a divorcing spouse.

The More Educated an Individual, the Less Likely He or She Is to Divorce

A study performed by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the greater an individual's educational attainment, the less likely he or she is to have divorced. This can be linked to a few other factors correlated with lower divorce rates: individuals who are more educated tend to marry later and they tend to have higher incomes. However, these factors are not foolproof. A study performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that for individuals who marry after age 32, the likeliness that an individual will divorce increases.

Childless Couples Have a Higher Divorce Rate

Couples who do not have children have a higher divorce rate than those with children. This is possibly because parents might feel obligated to stay in marriages despite their unhappiness to provide their children with stable, two-parent homes.

Parents of Girls Are More Likely to Divorce

Among parents, parents of girls are more likely to divorce than parents of boys. Although there is no conclusive evidence showing why this is, researchers theorize that it has to do with the financial cost of raising daughters versus raising sons and the sense of duty that fathers have to be constant role models for their sons. Another theory is that women in abusive marriages are more likely to leave if they have daughters because they do not want their daughters exposed to unhealthy relationship dynamics.

Work with an Illinois Family and Divorce Attorney

Every marriage is unique. Some couples, despite appearing to be perfect according to the statistics listed above, simply can not work together. Others last decades or even lifetimes despite appearing to be poorly matched for each other. Whether your marriage ends in divorce or not depends largely on your ability to communicate effectively with your partner and address problems before they arise, rather than once they have negatively impacted your relationship. If your marriage cannot be fixed, divorce might be right for you. Contact an experienced Kane County divorce attorney at Goostree Law Group to schedule your initial legal consultation with our firm. We can explain all of your options to you and help you determine how to proceed with your decision to end your marriage.

Sources:

http://www.apa.org/topics/divorce/

http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/article/marriage-and-divorce-patterns-by-gender-race-and-educational-attainment.htm

http://psychcentral.com/lib/the-myth-of-the-high-rate-of-divorce/

http://nextshark.com/best-age-to-get-married-study/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/insight/201008/why-parents-girls-divorce-more

http://freakonomics.com/2013/08/01/do-baby-girls-cause-divorce-full-transcript/