I recently read a very interesting article entitled “Great Divide: 6 Divorce Trends of Today (infographic)” on the website Moving Forward Through Divorce. The article discusses the six trends in people who are seeking divorces today. As a practicing family law attorney in Dallas, Texas, I too am seeing these trends in my practice.
1) The rate of marriage has decreased and thus, so has the number of divorces. This article states that since 1981, the marriage rate in the United States has decreased and by default, there are fewer divorces.
2) Women initiate the majority of divorces. This article states that 66% of divorces are initiated by women. I would agree with this statistic in my own practice. I once heard a statistic that on average a woman contemplates filing for a divorce for a year before doing so; men contemplate filing for divorce sixty days before doing so.
3) Divorce for people later in life is a growing trend. The 50 – 65 age group for divorces is rising. I have seen this in a number of divorces in Dallas, Texas where people have spent thirty plus years together and decide to end a marriage. These types of divorces are usually tricky because the number and type of assets as well as separate property that have been acquired during a long-term marriage.
4) A number of factors such as socioeconomic levels, religion, level of education, and age affect the likelihood of divorce.
5) Where you live can affect the likelihood of getting divorced. The west coast has a higher concentration of divorce as compared to the northern central region of the country.
6) Children of divorce are more likely to have their marriage end in a divorce. The statistic quoted in this article states that “70% of children with divorced parents vs. 40% of children with parents who are still married think that divorce is an adequate answer to marital problems.”