One of the vows that is often made when one person marries another is "till death do us part." While the divorce rate is not nearly as high as the associated 50% statistic, many marriages in the United States end in divorce. However, with less marriages taking place, divorce is starting to fade. Is this an accurate picture of divorce then?
What can help curb the divorce rate?
There are many reasons associated with the declining divorce rate, most strongly linked to a number of cultural changes. One of the most poignant reasons is the number of people who choose to live with one another for a period of time before getting married. These people are able to see if the relationship really works before signing a dotted line or saying any vows. If they decide to split up, there is no number added to the divorce statistic, since they were never legally married in the first place.
In addition, many of the people that are living together are choosing to forego marriage altogether. It is no longer as important to society as a whole that a couple get married before they decide to live with one another. Instead of getting married, these couples can draft up legal documents for protection with matters like property division and child custody. Since less people are getting married to begin with, the overall divorce rate is subsequently dropping according to these updated social changes.
The reality of the falling divorce rate is that is strongly linked to the nation's new view on marriage. With the rise in couples living together and choosing to skip over marriage, or simply waiting until they are certain about a relationship, it seems the divorce rate will continue to drop over the years.