You and I have always heard that marriages today face a 50% divorce rate. This is true and not true at the same time.
There are many ways divorce rate is measured, so the rate differs greatly depending on how you measure it. Not only that, but there are also different circumstances affecting divorce rates, and should be taken into account.
For instance, do we measure divorce across all measurable time to include that era where divorce was generally frowned on by society? Or do we just use numbers from a few years ago when divorce reached its peak?
Then there are individual determinations that are very interesting to note affecting divorce rate.
These factors tend to exaggerate divorce rates:
1. Couples who lived together prior to marriage are 50-80% more likely to be divorced.
2. Those who have a significant difference in age are twice as likely to get divorced!
3. Those who were previously divorced were more likely to get divorced.
4. Couples where the wife wants to have children but the husband disagrees – are 50% more likely to divorce. Duh.
5. If one spouse smokes – higher divorce rate. If both smoke – statistics say they are twice as likely to get divorced!
Enough of the higher rates! How about what helps make marriage last longer?
1. Those couple who marry after 18, are 24% less likely to get divorced.
2. College graduates have a small 27% divorce rate by middle age.
3. If your parents never divorced you are less likely to divorce too!
4. If the marriage brings in more than $50K per year, the divorce rate drops by 30%.
5. It only makes sense that couples with a strong belief in marriage are more likely to stay married.
6. Having children strengthens marriage (or at least makes it more challenging to divorce) and lowers the rate quite a bit.
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