Divorce Rate Drops for Several Reasons

 Posted on December 06, 2012 in Divorce

The divorce rate in Illinois has continued to drop, according to Divorce Magazine, and is likely due to several different factors, the economy being one of them. According to the magazine, "of the 43 states that have reported their divorces to the Center for Disease Control, the state with constitutional bans on gay marriage have the largest increase in divorce rates," and Illinois doesn't have a ban on gay marriage. The Northeast, according to the American Community Survey, has the lowest divorce rates in the nation, while the South has the highest. Illinois falls in between these two regions, with 8 per 1,000 men and women aged 15 and older.

A report from Medill Chicago substantiates this claim, citing specific data from Massachusetts and Iowa, the first two states to allow same-sex marriage. According to Medill, a research institute out of Northwestern University, in 2010 Iowa's divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 people, while the rate in Massachusetts was 2.5 per 1,000—the two lowest rates in the country.

Yet according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and a study to be published in 2013 entitled "Til Recession Do Us Part: Booms, Busts, and Divorce in the United States," the recession is to thank for falling divorce rates. Abdur Chowdhury, the author of the study, "found that from 1978-2009 the higher the level of disposable income, the higher the incidence of divorce." This was likely due to increased rates of unemployment and the reduction in value of marital assets, such as homes. It's not as if Americans were patching rocky relationships, however—the Star-Tribune notes that "as the economy started to slowly recover in 2009 and 2010, pent-up demand for divorce was released and the rates increased."

If you were waiting for the economy to recover to divorce, now may be the time. No matter what your financial situation, however, it's always best to work with a qualified professional. Contact a dedicated Chicago-area family law attorney today.

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