Divorce Facts

The following is a partial list of assorted divorce facts and statistics:

1.) Divorce is the legal dissolution of marriage.

2.) Divorce is caused by a multitude of reasons including, incompatibility, mental illness, infidelity, abuse, lack of communication, money, sexual problems, addiction, and differences in religion, culture, and lifestyle.

3.) Divorce can be either fault-based or no-fault. Fault-based means that you will have to prove that your spouse is to blame for the failed marriage. These reasons may be adultery or abuse or addiction, etc. No-fault means that no one is to blame. A common reason in this category is irreconcilable differences.

4.) When two people get divorced, there is a division of assets such as property, savings, and anything of substantial monetary value. There is also a division of liabilities or debt.

5.) Normally, one of the parents of a child assume custody. Sometimes the child will live part time with both parents. Such an arrangement is called joint custody. In addition, one parent will make child support payments to the other parent that has custody over the child.

6.) According to the CDC, in 2009 the divorce rate was 3.5 per 1,000 in the U.S. population.

7.) Most people remarry three years after their divorce.

8.) Most divorces take about a year to complete.

9.) The number of children living with only one parent is on the increase.

10.) Factors that decrease your risk of divorce: high annual income, a college level education, strong religious beliefs, having happily married parents, and waiting until your mid twenties before getting married.

11.) Couples who lived together before getting married are more likely to get divorced.

12.) Children living with only one parent are more likely to suffer from poor health.

13.) Knowing how to argue with a spouse is more important than what the argument is about.

14.) Divorce and its associated stress reduces the work productivity of men.

15.) Percent of households in the United States that are divorced:

16.) The cost of a divorce in the United States averages from $15000 to about $40000.

17.) Divorced people are more likely to suffer from mental illness, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. This is caused in part by the stress and long lasting trauma of divorce as well as the fact that married couples tend to have better health habits and thus live a cleaner and healthier lifestyle.

18.) How divorce affects children depends on their age:

• Infants lack the cognitive development to understand what is happening but they do sense and react to changes in the parents emotions and energy levels.
• Preschool children may fear abandonment and often feel that they are the reason for the divorce because they may have misbehaved in some way.
• Preadolescent children have a better understanding of the divorce but they also have a greater self awareness of their own pain. This self awareness only amplifies the pain because they lack coping skills.
• Teens can feel overwhelmed with the stress of too many changes being forced on them. They will feel anxious about how their world will change and what the future holds. They may feel a loss of parental support in coping with becoming an adult.

Related posts:

1. Child Custody Questions
2. Grounds For Divorce