Marriage is supposedly the last stage of courtship. However, it’s evident from the constantly surging divorce rates that not all married couples get their happily-ever-after endings.
Accordingly, divorce is simply defined as a court’s action of legally terminating a union in a legal proceeding. For the dissolution of marriage, it’s required that at least one involved party files an official petition.
In the legal perspective, divorce is a tedious and complex process. However, it’s even more complicated in the general sense. For this guide, we have compiled several interesting trivia about divorce that will definitely leave your brows arched.
Divorce paved the way for a lucrative business industry
With the growing divorce rates, the demand for divorce lawyers and solicitors are continuously increasing as well. In fact, since the 1980s, divorce rates continued to surge steadily. Statistics show that an estimate of 42% to 45% of marriages in the United States ends in a divorce. What’s more shocking is legal separations are excluded from this figure. Another source shares that within 13 seconds, one divorce occurs in the U.S.
The high demand for divorce lawyers enabled them to be handsomely paid. For instance, as of 2013, a divorce attorney in the U.S. earns an average median salary of $56,000. The exact figure varies depending on the state of residence and other variable factors. Multiple additional costs regarding settlements and representation are also included in the total charged fee. According to Lawyers.com, the average divorce cost for couples with a high net worth in Colorado is drastically higher than other divorce cases.
Chances for divorce grows higher for succeeding marriages
According to researchers, approximately 41% of first marriages end in divorce. However, succeeding marriages have a higher likelihood of being terminated with statistics showing that 60% of all second marriages and 73% of total third marriages end in divorce.
January, the divorce month
According to Dr. Barton Goldsmith, an expert in emotional fitness, courts report that the month of January is when most divorce cases are filed. The cause may be linked to the couple’s aim of trying to avoid causing disruptions within the family during the holiday season. Another likely reason is the desire to have a fresh beginning at the onset of a new year.
The main cause of divorce
Contrary to popular belief, sexual infidelity is not the leading cause of failed marriages. In fact, HuffPost.com reports that the top reasons why married couples decide to terminate their union are grounded primarily on communication problems.
Wives have the upper hand
As stated by family and divorce attorneys in Colorado Springs, the wife is most often the one who files for divorce — with an average of 66% of petitions for dissolution being made by wives. The said percentage actually reached nearly 75% in particular years. However, wives usually don’t remarry even though they are the ones who initiate the termination. In fact, in the year 2011, out of every 1000 of divorced or widowed women, only 29 remarried.
Divorce is a complicated affair. However, with data and statistics garnered through the years, we become aware of certain factors involving divorce. With numerous opportunities for future research regarding this subject, it’s guaranteed that the world will know even more interesting facts about divorce.