Conventional wisdom says that half of all marriages end in divorce. Many people, when asked, will tell you that the divorce rate is 50%.
It’s not, though. That number came about as a projection. It was a prediction of what would happen while divorce rates were increasing. It was never a solid number.
Plus, it’s very outdated. The increase in the divorce rate began as divorces became easier to obtain and lost their stigma in the ’70s, ’80s and beyond. It’s now 2020, a full 50 years after the start of that date range.
Since then, the rate has dropped. It stands to reason that the initial soaring rate was because many who had wanted to divorce and had not felt able to do so suddenly had the option. Now that divorce is common, rates are stabilizing.
But what is that level? Even that is hard to tell since the couples in question are still rather recently married. For instance, if you look at couples that married in the 2000s, about 15% have divorced. However, many of those are still very young couples. They may not have had children yet and not have faced many of the stressors that lead to divorce. The percentage of those who get divorced is sure to climb in the future as more and more couples from that age group decide to end their marriages.
At the end of the day, it’s not wise to rely on the numbers. Every marriage is unique. If you feel that it’s time for divorce, just make sure you know what legal steps to take.