DIVORCE RATE MAY NOT BE DECLINING AS MUCH AS EXPECTED

On behalf of Askvig & Johnson, PLLP

It has been the consensus among population experts that the divorce rate has been decreasing or stagnant in recent years. New research findings show that this may not actually be the case.

The past reports used US Census data and some other federal sources of information to conclude that, after a peak in the 1970s, the divorce rate has been on a steady decline. However, two demographers from the University of Minnesota are questioning this finding. Their report concludes that the rate of divorce in the United States has actually been on a steady increase over the past 30 years.

There have always been known problems in the data used to calculate divorce rates. The main problem is a flaw in the way that data has been collected which has led to a distorted divorce rate calculation.

In 2008, the US Census Bureau added questions about divorce to the American Community Survey. Along with this information, the demographers have used data that considers divorce patterns among different age groups. They determined that, although divorce rates are on the decline for young couples up to the age of 25, the rate of divorce has not been declining as rapidly for those couples over 35. This means that even couples that are well into their 60s are divorcing at a much higher rate than they have in the past.

After looking at this data from an age perspective, the demographers concluded that the rapidly increasing rate of divorce in older couples has actually caused the overall divorce rate among Americans to increase significantly since 1990; it is now at an all-time high.

If a couple was married a long time a divorce can become much more complicated. These couples often have more shared assets and there is a higher likelihood that children will be involved. This does not mean that a couple should not get divorced if their marriage isn't working. It does mean that they would likely benefit from the help of an experienced family law attorney who can help them work through this emotional time as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Source: Huffington Post, "Is the US Divorce Rate Going Up Rather Than Going Down?," Robert Hughes, Jr., Mar. 6, 2014