One only needs to turn to the Internet to realize two things: A) there is a lot of information out there and B) a lot of that information is contradictory. When it comes to divorce, this contradictory information seems to flourish, leaving readers with no idea of what is truth and what is myth.
Most of us have undoubtedly heard some rumors—fifty percent of people end up divorcing; people who marry young are more likely to get divorced; Hollywood marriages last for an average of eight seconds—but what is fact and what is fiction?
A lot depends on who you ask: statistics generally sample a small population of people. This means they aren’t exact. However, they can provide us with a general idea of the actualities surrounding divorce.
The Fifty/Fifty Rumor
According to Women’s Day, the most common stat (that half of all marriages end in divorce) is true…sort of. It’s not actually 50 percent of marriages that end, but it’s somewhere in the ballpark between 40 and 50 percent.
The Centers for Disease Control appears to support this. According to the CDC, 2009 saw 6.8 marriages (per 1,000 people) and 3.5 divorces (per 1,000 people), while 2002 saw 8.2 marriages (per 1,000 people) and 4.0 divorces (per, 1,000 people).
Does Living Together Before Marriage Make a Difference?
Per CNN, more and more couples are bucking tradition and opting to live together before marriage. But does this make a difference? The answer is a not-so-helpful “maybe.” It all comes down to why the couple decided to move in together.
If two people decide to move in together out of love or to simply take the next step in their relationship, living under the same roof can have a positive impact. But if two people move in together out of necessity—if the woman gets pregnant or one of the pair gets evicted from an apartment, for instance—then living together doesn’t have much of an effect at all.
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The Second Marriage Myth
Another common myth is that the second time’s the charm. It is widely believed that second marriages last longer than first marriages. However, according to studies, that’s simply not true. In fact, between 67 and 80 percent of second marriages end in divorce and the numbers are even worse for third marriages. Perhaps that is the reason second marriages can sometimes turn into fourth and fifth marriages in the blink of an eye.
Divorce Will Bankrupt Those Involved
Divorce typically involves lawyers; thus, it’s only logical to conclude that it’s expensive…really, really expensive. Yet this doesn’t have to be the case: divorce can occur on a budget. The trick is to have a divorce that is amicable.
A divorce that involves fighting over custody, assets, and the vacation home in Tahoe will cost thousands more than a divorce that involves two people sitting down with a mediator and hashing things out rationally. Divorcing couples who are able to be civil will reap the benefits of affordability.
Alimony for Everyone
Many women believe that they will get alimony upon divorcing. But the issue isn’t black and white. First of all, alimony isn’t always given to women: rather, it’s given to the spouse who was financially dependent on the other spouse. Yet even then it’s not a sure thing.
The rule of alimony can vary based on state and is largely influenced by the length of the marriage. A person who was married for twenty years is much more likely to get alimony than someone only married for two or three years.
This article was contributed by Sheldon Armstrong, a regular contributor here at INFOtainment News. He writes this on behalf of Chernoff Law, your number one choice when looking for a Houston Divorce Attorney. Check out their website at www.houston-divorceattorneys.com for more information!
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