If you ask people about the divorce rate in the United States, they will often tell you that half of all marriages end in divorce. Some people say that divorce is becoming more and more common and impacting more couples every year.However, all of these are just prevailing myths. The divorce rate in the United States is actually declining at a dramatic pace, and it recently hit the lowest level that has been seen in the last 50 years. It is about equal to the divorce rate from the 1970s.
Why do people think it’s rising?
The big reason that people think the divorce rate is always going up is that it did jump in the 1960s and 70s. Part of the reason for this was that states began adopting no-fault divorce laws. This made divorce easier. Women also began working more, which made them more self-sufficient and enabled them to seek divorces from unhappy marriages. There are certainly those who believe that this trend is still continuing, even though it reversed course long ago.
Why is it falling?
There are numerous reasons that the divorce rate is now falling, and one of them is simply that people don’t get married as often. Marriage rates are falling, people are waiting longer to get married and many couples are cohabiting before marriage. In some cases, these couples will not need to get a divorce simply because they never got married, even if they spent a decade living together and then broke up.
Are you getting divorced?
If you are getting a divorce this year, be sure you know exactly what legal steps you need to take so that you can fully protect your future.