[ Up ] [ Divorce Facts ] [ Breakup Causes ]

Facts About Divorce

By Dr. Kenneth Bateman, Amber University

If you and your spouse are not getting along very well at times, consider these facts for a moment:

• Half of marriages in the United States will end in divorce (1997).

• About 70% of marriages in Collin County and Dallas County end in divorce (1995)

• Divorce is higher when a marriage is preceded by a premarital pregnancy or out-of-wedlock birth

• Divorce goes down during economic hardship for a couple

• Couples who live together prior to marriage experience greater dissatisfaction afterwards

• Due to early divorce and the decreased likelihood today of staying married “for the sake of the children,” younger children are more and more likely to be affected. 

• 50% of all children from divorced families are more likely to have difficulties

• Children may also be very damaged by their parent’s bad marriage; their school work may suffer, as well as self-esteem, increased anger, depression, and self-blame, conflicts with authority, and their own ability to have a good marriage (role modeling and family systems)

• About 38% of all couples divorce within four years of marriage; this probably represents for many a breakdown in the marriage and separation within the first two years.

• A Dallas divorce lawyer has said that five years after a divorce many clients have told him, “If I’d only known how hard divorce is, I would have tried harder the first time.”

• Divorce is likely to be followed by remarriage (5 of 6 men remarry within 1-3 years; 3 out of 4 divorced women remarry; women stay single 5 years or more before remarriage; many decide they won’t marry again), but unless the issues of the previous marriage are dealt with problems will continue.

In other words, it’s worth it to improve your quality of life and your marriage as well as your children's by getting good marital counseling in time.  There are many things that can be done to improve your marriage.  You and your partner must decide whether you want help with your marriage or with a divorce.  

Your therapist can help you with your marriage, or help you have a better divorce which can save money, decrease bitterness, and be more amicable (for you and the children).