Divorce Rate after 20 Years of Marriage Doubles

SAN DIEGO DIVORCE LAWYERS

Australian Study Reveals Divorce Rate after 20 Years of Marriage Doubles

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Many of us have been through the progression that is a marriage, and we remember how when we met our spouse things were new and exciting.  As we moved into the engagement period, we became excited about other things including the wedding and the opportunity to spend a lifetime together.  After the wedding, we began to plan for becoming parents, and when our children were born we entered a new phase of life.  As our children grew up, we settled into a routine and watched them ultimately leave the home and go off on their own.

For many of us, this period after our children have left led us to realize that over the years, we have drifted apart from our spouses.  Things became stale and the excitement that used to be present was gone and perhaps had been for a long period of time.  Coming to that realization was not easy, but eventually we came to accept the fact that it was time for us to move on into a new phase of our lives so that we could regain our full enjoyment of life and recapture the excitement that we had when we were younger.

Most people assume that after a couple has been married for 20 years or more that they are going to stay together for the rest of their lives.  This is a reasonable assumption to make, as marriages that remain intact for that long are deemed successful.  However, the findings in a recent study that was done in Australia fly directly in the face of that widely held assumption, as researchers there uncovered a surprising statistical trend.

Those researchers, who work for the Australian Institute of Family Studies, found that since 1990, the rate of divorces involving people who had been married for at least 20 years had doubled.  Specifically, the proportion of divorces occurring after 20 years moved from 13 percent in 1990 to 28 percent in 2011.  This obviously came as a surprise to many people there, but it tends to fall in line with the divorce rate for people 50 and over in the United States, as that has also doubled in recent years.

What this study should tell people is that there is no list of reasons for why marriages end, and there is no statute of limitations for filing for a divorce.  People reach this conclusion for different reasons and at different times in their lives, and despite many perceived social norms people are individuals who make their own decisions.  In many cases, pursuing a divorce is a benefit to both of the spouses and it will allow both of them to be happier going forward.

If you are facing the possibility of divorce, you need to make sure that it’s done right and that it’s done efficiently no matter how long you’ve been married.  Contact the San Diego divorce lawyers at the Men’s Legal Center today to schedule an initial consultation.

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