Marriage and divorce rates in the United States are very interesting. For previous generations, the divorce rate was almost nothing, as divorce was often very difficult and there was a social stigma surrounding it. But this changed in the 1970s, when no-fault divorce laws were introduced. The divorce rates skyrocketed briefly because these new laws made it easier for unhappy couples to end their marriages.
But what does that mean for the modern divorce rate? You still have people who will quote the statistics from the 1970s or 80s and act as if the divorce rate is constantly rising. But this was actually just a singular blip in the statistics that happened when the law changed, and it does not provide a long-term analysis of divorce rates moving forward. For that, you have to look at a person’s age bracket.
What does age have to do with it?
The reason that age is important is that most age brackets in the United States have a declining divorce rate. Part of the reason for this is the increase in the average marriage age. Most people now do not get married until their 30s. In the past, people often got married in their 20s or even their teens, and then got divorced as they grew up. But putting off marriage leads to greater stability and lower divorce rates.
For those who are 50 years old and older, though, the divorce rate is going up. This could be due to the fact that these individuals were younger when they initially got married. It could also be because the social stigma around divorce has changed and their age bracket doesn’t view it as taboo the way that they once did. It’s also worth noting that second marriages have a higher divorce rate than first marriages, and older couples are more likely to be in second marriages.
As you can see, there are many different factors that influence the divorce rate. Couples who are getting a divorce must be well aware of the legal steps they need to take under modern divorce laws.
