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From Times Online
August 29, 2008
[/I]Divorce rate falls to 26-year low as couples delay getting married
Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent
The number of couples getting divorced is the lowest for 26 years as couples put off getting married until they are older and wiser.
Data for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics showed that divorces in England and Wales fell for a third consecutive year, down from 12.2 divorces per 1,000 married men in 2006 to 11.9. The divorce rate peaked at 14 per 1,000 in 1993.
Experts say that it could be the end of the steady rise in the divorce rate that began in the 1970s. They say that it is significant that more couples are choosing to marry in their 30s when they are more realistic about the ups and downs of relationships and better able to cope with problems when they arise.
Others blamed the credit crunch, saying that couples cannot afford to get divorced.
“There is a great deal of speculation around the impact of the economy on couples and families and we know that financial issues create uncertainty and distress – the brunt of which is born by partners and families," she said.
"The reality is that couples split up in all economic climates as we have seen throughout our 70-year history. UK families urgently need easy access to emotional support to manage the fall-out from conflict when they separate."
The only age group to record an increase is the over-60s. There were 13,678 divorces among the over-60s last year compared with 12,636 in 2006. Among men in the over-60s the rate rose from 2.2 to 2.3 per cent, and among women 1.4 to 1.6 per cent.
Marilyn Stowe, divorce lawyer for Stowe Family Law, said that the rise among older people may be linked to a longer life.
“People now have more energy in their later years and realise there is nothing left in their marriage once they have had their career and the children have left home,” she said.
It is a global phenomenon. According to data released by the United States Bureau of the Census, the number of divorced senior citizens in the US has risen by more than a third over the past decade to just under 2.2 million.
Most divorces still take place among younger people, however, suggesting that if you get through the first few years of married life the chances of staying together increase.
For the sixth consecutive year both men and women in their late twenties had the highest divorce rate of all five age groups at around 26.8 per 1,000.
The figures showed a total of 117,193 children aged under 16 affected by divorce in 2007 – 20 per cent of whom were under five and 63 per cent under 11.
The figures also recorded the number of dissolutions of civil partnerships for the fist time. There were 42 dissolutions granted last year, 14 to male couples and 28 to female couples.
Civil partnerships were introduced in December 2005 and 18,059 took place in the first year. Last year there were 8,728.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Far too expensive to get divorced at present. Better to sit tight until the recession is over (or lay back and think of England) . Anyway the only people who really proffit are the divorce lawyers.
Sad though for the voyeurs who attend the High Court for a nice juicy contested case !
Peter Hooper, Windsor, UK
August 29, 2008
[/I]Divorce rate falls to 26-year low as couples delay getting married
Rosemary Bennett, Social Affairs Correspondent
The number of couples getting divorced is the lowest for 26 years as couples put off getting married until they are older and wiser.
Data for 2007 from the Office for National Statistics showed that divorces in England and Wales fell for a third consecutive year, down from 12.2 divorces per 1,000 married men in 2006 to 11.9. The divorce rate peaked at 14 per 1,000 in 1993.
Experts say that it could be the end of the steady rise in the divorce rate that began in the 1970s. They say that it is significant that more couples are choosing to marry in their 30s when they are more realistic about the ups and downs of relationships and better able to cope with problems when they arise.
Others blamed the credit crunch, saying that couples cannot afford to get divorced.
“There is a great deal of speculation around the impact of the economy on couples and families and we know that financial issues create uncertainty and distress – the brunt of which is born by partners and families," she said.
"The reality is that couples split up in all economic climates as we have seen throughout our 70-year history. UK families urgently need easy access to emotional support to manage the fall-out from conflict when they separate."
The only age group to record an increase is the over-60s. There were 13,678 divorces among the over-60s last year compared with 12,636 in 2006. Among men in the over-60s the rate rose from 2.2 to 2.3 per cent, and among women 1.4 to 1.6 per cent.
Marilyn Stowe, divorce lawyer for Stowe Family Law, said that the rise among older people may be linked to a longer life.
“People now have more energy in their later years and realise there is nothing left in their marriage once they have had their career and the children have left home,” she said.
It is a global phenomenon. According to data released by the United States Bureau of the Census, the number of divorced senior citizens in the US has risen by more than a third over the past decade to just under 2.2 million.
Most divorces still take place among younger people, however, suggesting that if you get through the first few years of married life the chances of staying together increase.
For the sixth consecutive year both men and women in their late twenties had the highest divorce rate of all five age groups at around 26.8 per 1,000.
The figures showed a total of 117,193 children aged under 16 affected by divorce in 2007 – 20 per cent of whom were under five and 63 per cent under 11.
The figures also recorded the number of dissolutions of civil partnerships for the fist time. There were 42 dissolutions granted last year, 14 to male couples and 28 to female couples.
Civil partnerships were introduced in December 2005 and 18,059 took place in the first year. Last year there were 8,728.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Far too expensive to get divorced at present. Better to sit tight until the recession is over (or lay back and think of England) . Anyway the only people who really proffit are the divorce lawyers.
Sad though for the voyeurs who attend the High Court for a nice juicy contested case !
Peter Hooper, Windsor, UK
