The Bigger the Age Gap, the Bigger the Divorce Risk

 Posted on December 17, 2014 in Divorce

A new study has concluded what many people have suspected—and snickered about— for some time. Those May/December romances just do not work out in the long term, and the bigger the age gap, the higher the chance is for divorce.

Researchers from the University of Atlanta conducted a study, in which they surveyed 3,000 people. The participants were either married or divorced over the past five years and were asked questions pertaining to their marriage. Questions included duration of the marriage, and how long they dated their spouse, and the length of their engagement. The study was titled, "’A Diamond is Forever’ and Other Fairy Tales: The Relationship between Wedding Expenses and Marriage Duration."

Randal Olson, a fourth-year computer science graduate research assistant at Michigan State University, analyzed the data from that study and found the age gap correlation. According to Olson’s findings, the age gap breakdown exhibited the following:

• If there is a one year difference between spouses, there is a 3 percent more likely chance they will get divorced;
• If there is a five year difference between spouses, they are 18 percent more likely to end their marriage;
• A 10 year age difference between spouses means they are 39 percent more likely to end up in divorce court;
• For couples with a 20 year age difference, their chances of getting divorced are 95 percent; and
• Couples who had a 30 year age difference have a 172 percent more likely chance of getting divorced.

There may be several factors that affect couples with age differences and cause them to break up, particularly since they come from different generations. Additionally, this means they can ultimately have different cultural values and reference points as well as different tastes in films, music and friends.

If you have decided to divorce your spouse, there are several issues that may need negotiated, including child custody, asset division and spousal support. Contact an experienced Geneva family law attorney to discuss your options and needs.