New Study Reveals Divorce Statistics Even Higher Than Previously Reported

 Posted on April 19,2014 in Divorce

A new study by the Minnesota Population Center reveals that for the past 30 years, marriage experts have been reading the wrong data when it comes to determining the increases and decreases of this country’s divorce rate. And this new information shows that the divorce rate is even higher than previously thought – especially among baby boomers.

Divorce numbers began rising in the 1970’s as many baby boomers got married and divorced. They’ve kept up that pattern over the past three decades. According to the lead researchers, Steve Ruggles and Sheela Kennedy, the increase has spiked dramatically. In an interview, Ruggles said, “There has been a threefold increase in the divorce rate of people aged between 60 and 65 since 1990. And for those older than 65, the increase is fivefold.”

Ruggles points out that second and third marriages are often more “unstable” than first marriages and cites this as one of the reasons for the increase in numbers.

The researchers also discovered that younger generations do not appear to have much better luck in their relationships as the baby boomers. Breakups are also at an all-time high for those in their 30’s and 20’s. One of the reasons for that, Ruggles suggest, is that because many young people live together instead of marriage, leading to more frequency of getting together and breaking up.

For those under 25 years-old that do get married, the percentage of divorce is a little lower than for older generations. Education, financial background and family background all appear to play a role in those numbers.

Moving forward, the data that is collected from Americans should be more accurate due to changes that were made to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. In 2008, there were finally divorce-related questions added to the questionnaire.

There are many decisions that go along with a divorce – child custody, property division, spousal support, and more. If you’ve been considering a divorce, contact an experienced Geneva family law attorney to assist you.