MF news - November - Divorce down to 1970 levels

Divorce down to 1970 levels

At last a genuine good news story.

Using data we commissioned from the Office for National statistics, our latest report tells you everything you ever wanted to know about divorce rates, a surprisingly complicated subject

In the first 5 years of marriage, actual divorce rates are down 48% from their peak in the 1980s and 1990s

In the first 10 years of marriage, actual divorce rates are down 24%

After ten years of marriage, divorce rates become highly predictable

We predict the lifetime divorce risk for couples marrying today is 35%, down from 44% among couples who married in 1986 (most of those have already happened of course)

Almost all of the change is due to fewer wife-granted divorces in the first decade of marriage

This is most likely because, with less social pressure to marry, those men who do marry today are more committed

So much for ‘toxic masculinity’. Within marriage, women and men are getting on better than for many years

We also explain how the apparent rise in divorce in 2021 is almost certainly a short-term ‘blip’ due to faster processing of a backlog

Thank you so much as ever to our supporters. If you can help us champion marriage, click here

Harry Benson
Research Director, Marriage Foundation

Family breakdown costs £50bn a year

When couples split up, families move from one to two households. Poverty is a common outcome that affects children. Six out of ten lone parents are supported by the state compared to one out of ten couple parents. That's where most of the £50bn is spent.

UK Among highest family breakdown in Europe

Five years ago, the UK had the highest rate of family breakdown in Europe. We're not doing as badly today, but only because of big falls in divorce rates. Alas there's no sign of a similar improvement among cohabitees

Lower Divorce Rates – Higher Lone Parents

Divorce rates have plummeted over the past 3 decades, but the number of lone parents has doubled in the same period. Why?... Because unmarried parents make up only one in five cohabiting parents but are responsible for one half of all family breakdown.

Stability is found in Marriage

Whereas stability is the norm if parents are married (75% stay together), it is the exception if they are not (30% stay together). As a result, among parents of teens who are still together as a couple, nine out of ten are married

Single Most Important Factor

The single most important factor in a child’s healthy development is the stable relationship of the parents. Our groundbreaking research shows that family breakdown is the #1 predictor of teenage mental health problems.

MF news – November – Divorce down to 1970 levels

Harry Benson

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Divorce down to 1970 levels

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