Statistics are gathered every year regarding the topic of divorce such as their rates, reasonings, timelines, components, or costs. Although, divorce has been an option for many years, items do change regarding these statistics and it is important to check in to determine certain qualities of the divorce trends that may affect your case. Therefore, we have provided some of the most recent data regarding divorces in the year of 2019.
The first note made in almost every study regarding divorces in the year of 2019, is that the divorce rate has declined. A study conducted by the University of Maryland found, that since the year of 2008, there has been a decline in the rate of divorces of 18%. The Center for Disease Control reported that only 782,083 divorces occurred in the United States in 2019, which is the lowest number since the 1980s. Researchers have contributed this decline to the increase in millennials delaying marriage. According to the study, the average age of marriage has increased to 28 years for females and 30 years in males. While history provided average numbers as low as 21 and 24, females and males respectively. Presently, many are opting to focus on their careers and self-discovery. Therefore, they are more financially stable, and selective when it comes to choosing their partner, allowing for a more positive match and generally less marital struggle in the future. Further, there has been an increase in the use of marriage counselors to improve marriage quality and longevity. In recent years, therapy has become less stigmatized and encouraged in societies to improve marital relationships, which researchers also have contributed to the decline in the divorce rate.
Although the overall divorce rate has declined, all studies report that there has been a significant increase in divorces between those over the age of 50. With such a dramatic increase, they have been given a specific classification of “grey divorce.” Those over 50 have the highest rate of divorce in the year of 2019. Although a new phenomenon, some attributed this increase to the decrease in stigma surrounding divorce and the increase in self-satisfaction or identity outside of your marriage. In many of these cases, the couples were together for over 25 years and have not been alone for a majority of their life. However, in today’s society they are encouraged to find themselves and seek joy, which may encourage a divorce action.
Finally, in the year of 2019 women were much more likely to file for divorce than men. This is a complete change in prior years where men were the main initiators of a divorce proceeding. However, today women are more involved in the workforce, self-reliant, and independent. Therefore, if they are unsatisfied in their marriage, they have the financial and emotional support to seek a divorce in contrast to their predecessors.
Although some of these factors and data have not had many changes over the years, some have made some drastic movements. Continuing to keep up to date on the trends of divorce not only provide you with a general understanding of divorce but this data also provides your family law attorney with knowledge about the cases the courts are seeing and how they might need to alter certain tactics to accommodate these trends.
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