The Dr. Sonja Sutherland Show – Is Divorce Threatening Your Family?
Some interesting trends are evident in today’s marriages and divorces,
and those trends are, in large part, tied to demographic characteristics. Data is pointing to fewer Americans getting married, and those who are marrying are doing so at a later age. For example, the Pew Research Center found that in 1960, approximately 90% of individuals 25 to 34 years old had been married. Today, the number from the same demographic is just over 50%. When specifically looking at the number of those who have been married at least once by the age of 35, today the number is around 70%, down from 90% of Americans 30 years ago.
The difference, however, is in the demographics. Today, for college educated and more financially stable Americans, although first marriage is occurring at a later age, the marriage rate is almost the same as demonstrated within past generations. Also, the same demographic is less likely to get divorced or have children out of wedlock. Among more socioeconomically challenged Americans, first marriage is also occurring at a later age, but many are not marrying at all. Those who do marry are more likely to divorce, and those who don’t are more likely to have children out of wedlock (Casselman, 2014).
Here’s where things get interesting, and more controversial.
Since 2010, there have been several articles making their way through the news debating the actual divorce rate (DePaulo, 2017). My Facebook feed periodically blows up with an article stating that 50% of marriages no longer end in divorce and the divorce rate has been declining for quite some time. While it is true that some demographers have found that to be the case (You can review two of those articles here and here), other researchers believe that the celebration may be premature (See the sidebar on the right of each article for rebuttal) (Miller, 2014). However much those of us who celebrate the institution may want to believe otherwise, there are still many demographers who believe the number to be around 50%, and at least one states that to be the majority position (Again, see the sidebar on the right) (Wolfers, 2014).
An interesting caveat is again the demographic disparity. Those socioeconomically challenged Americans I mentioned earlier are as likely to get divorced today as they were 30 years ago. If there has been a decline in the divorce rate, it is within the college educated, more financially stable crowd. That difference is conceded by Justin Wolford, one of the leading proponents of a decrease in the divorce rate (Wolfers, 2014).
So, what is the actual divorce rate?
Good question, and while there is consensus around a range, there is no specific answer. Most demographers continue to believe that the risk of divorce is around 42% – 45%, with permanent separations not resulting in divorce pushing the rate of intentional marital disruption to around 50%. Again, there are optimistic assertions that the rate is decreasing, but there are also more pessimistic estimations that the number of divorces is actually increasing along with, and possibly as a consequence of, average lifespan (Miller, 2014).
Last Week’s Show
To therapists tasked with helping individuals, couples, and families come to terms with the effects of divorce, however, trends in marriage and divorce rates, while interesting, are of no benefit to our clients. Families don’t care about statistics. Families care about finding a path forward that heals emotional pain, protects children, maintains healthy relationships, and sows as little discord as possible. On last week’s Dr. Sonja Sutherland Show, we discussed this very issue in an episode titled, “Is Divorce Threatening Your Family?”. Co-hosted by Juan Edgar, MAMFT, Dr. Sonja’s guests were Christine Sims, MA, from Legacy Changers Counseling Center, and Vincent Poole MA, APC, from Pediatrics at Whitlock.
Follow the link below
to listen to an audio recording of the show available on Dr. Sonja’s website. You can listen each week on Love 860AM, watch and listen live on Love 860’s website, or listen on iHeartRadio. Each episode is also streamed on Facebook Live through the Legacy Consortium’s Facebook page. Head over, check out the page, and give us a, “like,” while you’re there.
References
Casselman, B. (2014). Marriage isn’t dead – yet. Retrieved from https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/marriage-isnt-dead-yet/
DePaulo, B. (2017). What is the divorce rate, really? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/living-single/201702/what-is-the-divorce-rate-really
Miller, C. C. (2014). The divorce surge is over, but the myth lives on. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/02/upshot/the-divorce-surge-is-over-but-the-myth-lives-on.html?abt=0002&abg=1&_r=1#permid=13480209
Wolfers, J. (2014). How we know the divorce rate is falling. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/04/upshot/how-we-know-the-divorce-rate-is-falling.html?abt=0002&abg=1&_r=0#permid=13498651
