A dose of bad internet advice that I heard this week —
“Having a successful marriage is as likely as winning the lottery.”
This isn’t remotely true, but it did get me thinking. Is a successful marriage really as rare as everyone claims that it is? And so the search began.
Here are 10 eye-opening divorce findings in 2023.
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1. Couples who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce.
It sounds counter-intuitive, but time and time again, the statistics show that couples who cohabitate before marriage have a higher divorce rate than those who do not.
In fact, 57% of couples who did not live together prior to marriage had a marriage that lasted 20 or more years — while the same can be said for only 46% of couples who did cohabitate beforehand.
2. Over 70% of couples report not understanding the realities or stages of marriage.
This sounds spot on.
Couples who marry in the middle of their “honeymoon stage,” romantic infatuation, or without proper counseling beforehand are likely to hit a rut after that initial romance dies down.
3. There Are Only Two Countries Where Divorce Is Illegal
“‘Til death do we part” is still taken literally in some parts of the world.
The Republic of the Philippines and Vatican City do not recognize divorce as an option on religious grounds. The Catholic Church, specifically, seeks to uphold the sanctity of marriage as a permanent legal and spiritual commitment to one’s spouse.
(Though, in extenuating circumstances, annulment is permitted as an alternative to divorce.)
4. Gaming Managers and Bartenders Have the Highest Divorce Rates
Gaming managers come in first with a divorce rate of 52.9%, followed closely by bartenders who have a divorce rate of 52.7%. These jobs tend to involve working long evening hours, which can put additional strain on a romantic relationship.
5. Third Marriages Have the Highest Divorce Rate — at 73%
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
But fool me three times?
Is it really that surprising that “third times the charm” doesn’t apply here? People who get married and divorced more than once generally don’t believe marriage is permanent.
6. Divorcees Are More Likely to Die Earlier Than Married People
Unfortunately, the mortality rate is 1,363 per 100,000 for divorced people overall compared to 779 per 100,000 for married couples.
Perhaps love really does make you live longer.
7. Couples Who Marry Before Age 32 Experience Lower Divorce Rates
Couples who marry “too young” don’t always last — but is there such a thing as marrying “too old?”
Intuitively, couples who marry at 25 are 50% less likely to divorce than couples who marry at 20. However, for those who get married after age 32, their divorce rate increases by about 5% per year until they get married.
8. The Religion With the Highest Divorced Population Is Evangelical Protestant
Evangelical Protestants have the highest divorce rate out of any religious group — where 55% of this group are married, 14% are divorced. This is greater than double the percentage of divorce among Hindus (the lowest divorce rate for religious-identifying groups).
9. Having More Children Does Not Increase the Risk of Divorce
Many people assume that the stress of raising a family is one of the leading causes of divorce. However, couples with two children have a divorce rate of 17%, while couples with three children have a divorce rate of 13%.
10. The Most Expensive Divorce Was Bill and Melinda Gates
Many people will joke that they can’t get divorced because it’s too expensive. This is certainly the case with lawyer fees, divvying up assets, paying child support, therapy costs, and a million other things.
However, Bill and Melinda Gates take the cake for having the most expensive divorce — so far. With Gates’ $130 billion in assets, and no signed prenup, the divorce settlement was quite the challenge.
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Final Thoughts
It goes without saying — divorce is a difficult and heartbreaking process for all those involved (especially children). And yet, it seems to be one that many people go through.
With this knowledge in mind, hopefully, those considering marriage will make the best choice possible for their lives.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
What Does Being in Love and Loving Someone Really Mean? | My 9-Year-Old Accidentally Explained Why His Mom Divorced Me | The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex | The Internal Struggle Men Battle in Silence |
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Photo credit: Samantha Gades on Unsplash