• 20
  • May
    2011

A recently released report by the U.S. Census Bureau contains some very interesting revelations concerning both marriage and divorce. Specifically, it verifies that certain longstanding views concerning the "right age" to marry are evolving while patterns concerning the dissolution of marriage have remained largely unchanged.

Marriage

Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of the U.S. Census Bureau report was its findings concerning the average age at which women are entering into their first marriage.

The report found that as of 2009, nearly 47 percent of U.S. women ranging in age from 25 to 29 have never been married, a 21 percent increase from 1986.

What's behind this decrease in the marriage rate among younger women?

"As marriage rates have decreased and cohabitation has become more common, marriage has become more selective of adults who are better off socioeconomically and have more education," reads the report.

The report also found that as of 2009, roughly 27 percent of U.S. women ranging in age from 30 to 34 have never been married, a 13 percent increase from 1986.

The median age for a first marriage was determined by the Census Bureau to be 28 for men and 26 for women, as compared with 23 for men and 20 for women back in the 1950s.

Divorce

The Census Bureau report also found that the divorce rate may actually be on the decline, finding that 55 percent of all married couples have been together for 15 years or longer.

However, the length of time before a couple in their first marriage actually pursues a divorce has remained relatively stable, coming in at around 7 years (plus an additional year for the divorce itself).

"I think it's getting better," said Lisa Beth Older, a New York-based divorce attorney. "For a garden-variety divorce, a year is not really out of the question. But it's still a slow moving process."

Stay tuned for developments from our Denver divorce blog ...

If you would like to learn more about dissolution of marriage or property division, you should strongly consider speaking with an experienced legal professional.

This post is provided for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.

Related Resources:

American couples get 'more selective' (Bloomberg Businessweek)