Divorce Rates Falling

Posted by: Dan Savage
Topic:  Divorce

Good news--kinda, sorta--for folks who disapprove of divorce. Divorce rates are now at their lowest levels since 1970. Not only that, but they've been falling since 1981--that would be right around the time religious conservatives and GOP politicians that pander to them began yelling about the destruction of the American family, "broken hearths," and no-fault divorce laws. Divorce rates continued to fall, I feel compelled to mention, even after same-sex marriage became a topic of national debate in the early 1990s--despite warnings from social conservatives that even an open discussing same-sex marriage would destroy the institution of heterosexual marriage. But it's not all good news for marriage fans--or score-settling homos:

What is fueling the decline in the per capita rate? A combination of factors, say 20 scholars, marriage-promotion experts and divorce lawyers The Associated Press consulted. The number of couples living together without marrying has increased tenfold since 1960, the marriage rate has dropped by nearly 30 percent in the last 25 years, and Americans are waiting about five years longer to marry than they did in 1970. Adding such things together, Patrick Fagan of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, sees a bad situation. "Cohabitation is very fragile, and when unmarried parents split, for the child it might as well be a divorce," Fagan said. "Among those who are marrying there's increased stability, but overall the children of the nation are getting a rawer and rawer deal from their parents."

Agreed, Patrick. But my child isn't getting raw deal from his parents, but from the state that made us his parents and yet refuses to allow us to marry. Back to the Chicago Tribune...

One of the researchers whose studies detected the "divorce divide" is University of Maryland sociologist Steven Martin. Comparing marriages from early 1970s to those of the early '90s, Martin found that the rate of breakups within 10 years of marriage dropped by one-third among college-educated women while remaining stable among less-educated women.

That stat pops up again and again in discussions about marriage: education levels and income security correlate positively with stable marriages. From the same Chicago Tribune piece...

Other researchers have documented what they call "the divorce divide," contending divorce rates are falling substantively among college-educated couples but not among less-affluent, less-educated couples. "Families with two earners with good jobs have seen an improvement in their standard of living, which leads to less tension at home and lower probability of divorce," said Andrew Cherlin, a professor of public policy at Johns Hopkins University.

Hm. So if someone is truly interested in strengthening the institution of marriage, well, then it would appear that hectoring people about their faith or preventing same-sex couples from marrying isn't the way to do it. Access to education, living-wage jobs for working class people, a stronger labor movement, and--most important of all--a health care system that insures everyone is the way to go. That's a pro-family movement that would actually benefit families.

Comments

[Mimo]

Great site and info. Lots to think about. Thank you!

[Mimo]

Great site and info. Lots to think about. Thank you!

[Chi]

Beautifully said on all points.

[ERIC DEL ROSARIO]

Nice and straight to the point...