Divorce Statistics: Why is the Divorce Rate Going Up Again?

Have you seen the news?  According to various news reports, with the economy (supposedly) picking up again, the divorce rate is also rising again, too.  As Augusta, Georgia divorce attorneys, we had noticed, in our own divorce law practice, that the number of divorces seems to track, or follow, the economy. 

In other words, if you are worried about your job, or your next paycheck, then your worthless spouse, "Sluggo," might not look quite as bad!  But when you feel more secure about your own job situation, then you might be more inclined to "dump the chump!"

What is your opinion?  Is there a correlation between the economy and the divorce rate?  Put another way, do you believe that people tend to stay married longer during periods of economic recession?  Or do hard times breed hard feelings and more divorces?

Divorce Rate Statistics

Is the divorce rate in this country getting better or worse? And is a high divorce rate necessarily always a bad thing?

According to many professionals, including Dr. Robert Hughes, an Ohio State professor, the divorce rate in the United States reached its peak in the late 1970’s and it has leveled off, or dropped slightly, in the years since then. In other words, in recent years, the divorce rate has been about 20 women per 1000 women, compared to 23 women per 1000 women in the late 1970’s. Of course, everything is relative, and our divorce rate is still high, because the divorce rate in the 1950’s was only about 5 women per 1000, according to Dr. Hughes.

But are high divorce rates necessarily good or bad? Please don't cynically believe that, just because I am an Augusta, Georgia divorce lawyer, I automatically love a high divorce rate! To me, while high divorce rates are never good, on a positive note, at least today’s woman is not always as trapped in an abusive relationship as her 1950’s counterpart must have been. No doubt, in the 1950’s, Leave-It-To-Beaver’s mother would have stayed married to Ward Cleaver no matter what domestic abuse she may have suffered. Do you agree? What do you think about our high divorce rate and is it necessarily good or bad?

And why do you think our divorce rate has leveled off, or dropped slightly, since the late 1970’s? Is it simply because there more hopeless romantic types around today?!