While the number of married couples who are get divorced seems to be dropping in the United States, there’s still a 33 percent chance that a marriage will fail, according to research cited by The New York Times. In the past few years, there have been a number of studies about whether “this” or “that” will make a couple more likely to divorce. Here are some of the results of those studies:
— Watching pornography. A recent study that involved around 2,000 people and almost 10 years of participation found that couples who started watching pornography while married were twice as likely to get divorced.
— Number of sexual partners. Another study found that for heterosexual couples who got married after 1999, when the wife had two sexual partners, they were more likely to get divorced than if the woman had three to nine partners. The women who were most likely to get divorced? Those who had 10 or more sexual partners.
— Age difference: Another study tracked the divorce rate for married couples based upon their ages. Couples who were close in age had the lowest risk of divorce. Those with an age difference of 10 years or more were 39 percent more likely to divorce.
— Age at marriage: The best time for a couple to marry, according to one study, is when both spouses are in their early 20s to early 30s. If you are over 32, then your chances of being in divorce court are higher. However, teen marriages had the highest risk of divorce.
These are just a few of the studies over the past few years that try to put a scientific spin on who is most likely to divorce. It’s important to remember that these studies do not tell the whole story about why a couple divorces. Your story may be similar, or vastly different. If you are contemplating divorce, it is more important to consider how you will prepare for the future as a single person than dwell on the past. An experienced divorce attorney can help you position yourself best for the next phase of your life.
Source: Business Insider, “10 facts about divorce every couple should know before getting married,” Shana Lebowitz, Sep. 05, 2016
