Marriage Longevity Reaches New Heights: A Closer Look at the Trends
Recent statistics have brought positive news for those who value the institution of marriage. According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, a record 83.7% of couples who tied the knot in 2015 were still married as of last year, marking the highest retention rate in over 40 years.
These figures also reveal a noteworthy decline in divorce rates, dropping from 14.2 per 1,000 in 1993 to just 8.4 last year. The Coalition for Marriage (CFM) has expressed approval over these trends, challenging the long-held belief that half of all marriages end in divorce—a claim they consider an “urban myth.”
Dr. Tony Rucinski, Chief Executive of CFM, remarked positively on the current state of marriage, stating, “For couples marrying today, the outlook is good and getting better.”
He further highlighted a recent article from The Guardian, which explored why couples are choosing to divorce later in life. Sociologist Julia Carter from the University of the West of England contributed to the discussion, describing marriage as “a kind of refuge, a place of long-term stability and security for couples – and especially for women.”
Additional statistics indicate that married women experience lower rates of domestic abuse compared to their unmarried counterparts. U.S. data also suggests that children living with a single parent and a live-in partner face a tenfold increase in the risk of abuse.
Rucinski addressed financial concerns mentioned in the same Guardian piece, which speculated that economic factors might delay divorce. He noted that early divorces have been on the decline since the mid-1990s, irrespective of economic cycles, well before the current cost-of-living challenges.
Backing these insights, research from The Marriage Foundation indicates that marriage significantly contributes to family stability. Their study found a 45% divorce rate among parents who never married by their child’s 14th birthday, compared to only 26% for those married before the child’s conception.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
