Depending on who you ask, the divorce rate in America is either going up or going down. The best studies appear to indicate that the divorce rate is going up among older Americans and down among younger Americans. Meanwhile, the marriage rate is also going down for younger Americans with fewer younger Americans tying the knot and waiting longer until they do decide to get married.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, almost 690,000 couples got divorced in 2021. That is roughly half the number of couples who decided to get married. The majority of couples filed for no-fault divorces which means that neither spouse blamed the other for the breakdown of the marriage. Instead, they cited irreconcilable differences as the cause of the breakdown of their marriage. That did not, however, mean that the couples didn’t have problems with their former spouse or that one spouse committed no wrongdoing. Couples cited a handful of common factors that they felt put a strain on their marriage.
According to the Forbes Advisor survey, the biggest conflicts for divorcing couples included:
- Career choices
- Parenting differences
- Division of household labor
- Relationships with family
- Relationships with friends
- Finances
- Health choices
46% of those surveyed cited career choices as the number one source of conflict in their marriage. Parenting differences came in second at 43%.
Couples also said that the division of household labor played a major factor in causing disputes. A recent study indicated that women receive less marital satisfaction when they feel like the burden of keeping the house falls mostly on them. Women who felt that their partners were doing an equal share of the household labor reported more marital satisfaction. An unequal share of the household labor caused women to have less sexual desire for their partners, according to a 2022 study.
Only 5% of those surveyed said that there was no way that their marriage could have been saved. That means 95% of those who divorced believed that their marriage was likely salvageable at some point. 63% of that 95% said that having a better understanding of commitment prior to marrying could have helped them avoid divorce. More than half reported that had they had a better understanding of their spouse’s morals and values, they might still be together. Others noted that waiting longer to start a family could have improved their marriage. Some believed that undergoing couples counseling could have helped improve the quality of their marriage. Waiting longer to get married and living together before marriage were both cited as potential factors in avoiding divorce. Just 5% of those surveyed said their marriage stood no chance at all.
Talk to a Tampa, FL Divorce Lawyer Today
The Tampa family lawyers at Westchase Law, P.A. represent the interests of couples who are seeking to untie the knot. We can help you in all aspects of your divorce including property distribution, alimony, child support, and custody issues. Call our office today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin discussing your next steps right away.
Sources:
forbes.com/advisor/legal/divorce/common-causes-divorce/#less_than_5_of_divorcees_say_their_marriage_couldnt_be_saved_section
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-022-02397-2