Divorce Stats: Not As High As Most Think

Most people think that the divorce rate is 50% or higher in our country, but the rate of divorce has actually been dropping for some time now.  Nationwide, there has been a steady decline in divorces and Texas has followed that national trend.

In metro Houston, 42.1% of the population over 15 is married.  This is lower than both the Texas and the national average of about 50%.  The second most common marital status is single and never married at approximately 39%.

This is good news for all the romantics and optimists out there.  It will soon be high season for marriage ceremonies and it seems like love is in the air.  And it is true that as an institution marriage brings many wonderful benefits to couples who choose to enter into it- financially and emotionally.  In fact, recent studies have suggested that being married can actually extend your life expectancy.  

I am glad divorces are down.   At my firm, we do not push people towards divorce.  In fact if I meet with someone who is unsure about whether they want a divorce, I try to encourage him or her to work things out with their spouse if possible.   But sometimes relationships cannot be mended and marriages become so broken they can't be put back together.  We are there to make sure that if divorce is inevitable, then the process is fair - and hopefully we can help make it a little less painful.    

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