Are you getting a divorce and considering remarriage? While your first thought after a divorce would be never to marry again, statistics show that 70% of people end up marrying again in their life after a divorce.
Then, what are the things to consider before you consider remarriage? Here are some startling facts about marriage, divorce, and for that matter, remarriage in America.
The Reason to Tie the Knot
Love remains the number one reason for Americans’ to marry. Statistically speaking, at least nine-in-ten Americans (88%) gave love as one of the chief reasons to marry, followed by lifelong commitment (81%) and companionship (76%). According to a 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center, there were other reasons too. This includes religious ceremonies, financial stability, and legal rights and benefits. But the heartening thing to note is that love remains the most important reason to marry.
Most Marriages Now Involve Remarriage
Remarriage is now on the rise. As per statistics in 2013, at least 23% of married people walked down the aisle again compared to only 13% in 1960. Four-in-ten new marriages have spouses who have had tied the knot before. And in 20% of marriages, both the spouses have said I Do at least once.
Remarriage is becoming fairly common. However, there is another important pointer to note here. More men gave marriage another shot, at least 64 % as compared to women, 52%. Women are less inclined to say I do again since they are less interested in remarrying.
Divorce – A Common Thing?
In the United States alone, there are 876k divorces annually. So, as per statistics, there is a new divorce happening every 36 seconds. An average length of a marriage is now only eight years. That seems that divorce is turning out to be a sad fact of life, which you cannot ignore.
Marriage Is On the Decline
While the institution of marriage is not dead, marriage in America has unquestionably declined over the recent few years and is said to be at an all-time low. Throughout the entire span of the 20th century, the annual U.S. marriage rate was no less than eight marriages per 1,000 people. The marriage rate has been wavering over the years of the past century.
Since the start of the 21st century, the U.S. marriage rate has slumped further right from more than eight marriages per 1,000 down to six marriages per 1,000 population in 2019. This statistic of marriage rate has been the lowest level since the U.S. government began maintaining the marriage records for the country from 1867.
Cohabiting, The New Norm
The number of U.S. adults who are cohabiting with a partner has been rising steadily. Apart from the half of U.S. adults who were married, 7% were living together in 2016. The percentage of Americans living with an unmarried partner was now hovering around 18 million in 2016 and has increased 29% since 2007. Most of these cohabiters belong to the age group below 35.
Although we may see more of the younger population toying with the idea of cohabiting, there are more Americans above the age of 50 who are also thinking of cohabiting.
A large majority of Generation Zers, Generation Xers, Millenials, and Baby Boomers believe that living together does not cause a major impact on society. Only 41 % of the older generation say co-inhabitation is a bad thing and does not augur well for society.
Americans Are Staying Single Longer
Americans are indeed staying single longer. Half of Americans over the age of 18 were married in 2017, a share that hasn’t changed over the years. The median age at first marriage is now 30 years for men and 28 years for women in 2018, as per the U.S. Census Bureau.
The divorce rates among older adults in the U.S. are inversely proportional to the marriage rate among adults. Yes, that’s right, divorce rates have increased among older Americans. Among older adults who are 65 years and older, the divorce rate has tripled since 1990.
The divorce rate or marriage in America gives us an insight into today’s relationships. The data does give a clue of how the state of the relationship has changed over the years. The landscape of relationships will only change more in the years to come. Will, the paradigm shift do any collective good for society? Well, we think it’s too early to tell!