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Are divorce rates going up or down?

On Behalf of | Jul 12, 2024 | Divorce

If you ask people about divorce rates, there are a lot of pieces of misinformation going around. Some people will adamantly claim that the divorce rate is 50%, saying that “half of all marriages end in divorce.” Others will claim that the divorce rate is constantly rising and that it is more common every year. Still others may counter that they don’t know that many couples who have gotten divorced and it feels to them like it isn’t as common as they expected.

Part of what’s going on here is that there are different divorce rates at different ages. What researchers have found is that the cutoff point is 45 years old. For those who are under 45, the divorce rate in the United States has generally been trending down. But for those who are over 45, the divorce rate has been increasing.

What causes this difference? 

There are many different factors that impact these divorce rates, but one thing to keep in mind is that people are also getting married later. It’s now common for people to get married around 30 years old. Previous generations may have been married in their early 20s or even their teens. So there are simply fewer married couples to get divorced in this age bracket.

Additionally, the general stigma around divorce has changed in the United States. Many older couples grew up when divorce was relatively uncommon, but that changed with the no-fault divorce laws of the 1970s. These couples may find themselves more open to the idea of divorce today.

If you’re getting divorced this year, no matter which age bracket you are in, just take the time to look into your legal options.