Yes indeed I'm a cynic (SP?) But it's my honest feelings. TRUE.. other people have found "the one" or are happy in the family and relationship...
But why is the divorce rate so high? in 1997 1 in 5 marriages end in divorce... and I'd say that at least another 1 or 2 out of that 5 SHOULD be divorced.
Again, i mean no disrespect to any of you or your relationships. I am just voiceing my beliefs ont he subject. I am happily married to my passions and hobbies and interests, and I'm steadily dating myself.. because there is noone I would rather spend time with.
Will I find "the one?" I think i already have.... me...... I am all I need, unlike so many people/relationships i fully support my passions and tell myself "GO FOR IT! Do it, and spend all the time you need on it"
Some may think it's a lonely view.. but again,. I disagree, my life is filled with positivity and warm friends and activities that make me happy..
See... happiness cannot be found in someone else... it can only be found in you. As DarkMC had pointed out, since getting married he has had to make certain considerations, and create certain situations... I'm not, nor will i ever be willing to do so. My life is mine, and I have no intention on splitting it with someone else. Splitting it and having to cut out aspects of it to make room for someone else's feeling.. nope... call me selfish, and I say hell yea... why not.. no one will love you as much as you SHOULD love yourself...
Ok.. rant over.. let the onlsaught of rebuttles begin...
Divorce Statistics
Marriage & Divorce:
(2002 except where noted)
Total divorces granted in 1997: 1,163,000
Rate per 1,000 population (1999):
(excluding CA, CO, IN and LA) 4.1
State with the lowest divorce rate: (1997) Massachusetts. Rate per 1,000 population: 2.4
State with the higest divorce rate: Nevada. Rate per 1,000 population: (1997) 9.0
Percentage of population that is married: 59% (down from 62% in 1990, 72% in 1970)
Percentage of population that has never married: 24%
Percentage of population that is divorced: 10% (up from 8% in 1990, 6% in 1980)
Percentage of population that is widowed: 7%
Median age at first marriage: Males: 26.9
Females: 25.3
Median age at first divorce: Males: 30.5
Females: 29
Median age at second marriage: Males: 34
Females: 32
Median age at second divorce: Males: 39.3
Females: 37
Median duration of first marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.8 years
Females: 7.9 years
Median duration of second marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.3 years
Females: 6.8 years
Median number of years people wait to remarry after their first divorce: Males: 3.3 years
Females: 3.1 years
Percentage of married people who reach their 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversaries: 5th: 82%
10th: 65%
15th: 52%
Percentage of married people who reach their 25th, 35th, and 50th anniversaries: 25th: 33%
35th: 20%
50th: 5%
Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 25: Males: 32%
Females: 50%
Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 35: Males: 77%
Females: 84%
Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 45: Males: 87%
Females: 90%
Percentage of people who have ever been married by the age of 55: Both males and females: 95%
Likelihood of new marriages ending in divorce in 1997: 43%
Percentage of all householders who are unmarried in 2000: 48%
Percentage of weddings which are remarriages for at least one partner in 1997: 43%
Percentage of first marriages that end in divorce in 1997: 50%
Percentage of remarriages that end in divorce in 1997: 60%
Percentage of divorced women who remarry within five years as of 1995: 54%
Estimated average length of divorce proceedings in 1997: 1 year
Percentage of African American adults in this age group never married in 1998: 53%
Percentage of households occupied by one person in 2000: 25.5%
Percentage of population (by area of US) who had never married in 1999:
Midwest: 28%
Northeast: 28%
South: 26%
West: 29%
Number of married couples (2000): 56,497,000
Number of married people whose spouses are absent (2000): Males: 1,365,000 (1.3%)
Females: 1,365,000
(1.2%)
People who have been widowed (2000): Males: 2,604,000
(2.5%)
Females:11,061,000 (10%)
People who are divorced (2000): Males: 8,572,000 (8.3%)
Females: 11,309,000 (10.2%)
People who are separated (2000): Males: 1,818,000 (1.8%)
Females: 2,661,000 (2.4%)
Percentage of people that married under the age of 20 who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 40%
Percentage of people that married over the age of 25 who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 24%
Percentage of couples not affiliated with any religious group who eventually get divorced as of 1995: 46%
Percentage of women whose parents were divorced who get divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 43%
Percentage of women whose parents stayed together who get divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 29%
Interracial married couples in 2000: 1,047,000
Number of unmarried couples living together: 5.5 million
Percentage of unmarried couples living together that are male-female unions: 89%
Percentage of women who cohabited before they turned 30 in 1995: 50%
Percentage of couples living together for more than five years who eventually marry as of 1995: 70%
Number of people divorcing each year as of 1997: 2.5 million
Drop in standard of living of females after divorce as of 2000: 45%
Number of women who are stalked by a husband or ex-husband every year as of 1997: 380,000
Number of men who are stalked by a wife or ex-wife every year as of 1997:
52,000
Click here for a state-by-state ranking of divorce rates.
Children/Single parents:
(2000 except where noted)
Number of children in new divorces each year as of 1997: 1 million
Percentage of parents who had never married in 1998: Males: 35%
Females: 42%
Percentage of households which are family households: 68.8%
Percentage of households with their own children under 18: 33%
Percentage of married householders with kids: 24%
Percentage of family households with children with only one parent in 1998: 27%
Percentage of all households run by single moms: 9.2%
Percentage of all households run by single dads: 1.9%
Number of adults living in a home maintained by one or both parents in 1998: 22 million
Number of single parents: Males: 2.04 million
Females: 9.68 million
Estimated number of children involved in divorce in 1997: 1,075,000
Rate per 1,000 population children under 18 involved in divorce in 1997: 16.8
Children under 18 years of age living with just one parent in 1998: 20 million (28%)
Percentage of children under 18 years of age living with both parents (2002): 69%
Percentage of children under 18 years of age living with mother only (2002): 23%
Percentage of children under 18 years of age living with father only (2002): 5%
Percentage of children under 18 years of age living with neither parent (2002): 4%
Percentage of children in single-parent homes living with their mother in 1998: 84%
Percentage of children living with single parents for whom no other adults were present in the household in 1998: 56%
Children under 18 living in the household of their grandparents in 1998: 4 million (6%)
Total families in which the child lived with two parents in 1997: 25.6 million
Total single fathers maintaining their own household: 1.786 million
Total single fathers living in the home of a relative: 240,000
Total single fathers who are divorced: 913,000
Total single fathers never married: 693,000
Total single fathers who were separated in 1997: 260,000
Total single fathers raising one child: 1,300,000
Total single fathers raising four or more children: 55,000
Total single mothers maintaining their own household: 7.571 million
Total single mothers living in the home of a relative: 1.633 million
Total single mothers who are divorced: 3.392 million
Total single mothers never married: 4.181 million
Total single mothers raising one child: 5.239 million
Total single mothers raising four or more children: 475,000
Percentage of children (by race) living in two-parent households in 1998: White: 74%
Black: 36%
Hispanic: 64%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a divorced parent in 1997: 38%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a never-married parent in 1997: 35%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a separated parent in 1997: 19%
Percentage of children living with one parent who lived with a widowed parent in 1997: 4%
Percentage of children living with one parent whose spouse lived elsewhere because of business or some other reason in 1997: 4%
Percentage of children in two-parent households whose parents were college graduates in 1998: 29%
Percentage of children in single-parent households whose parents were college graduates in 1998: 9%
Percentage of children with single parents (by gender) earning under $12,500 in 1998: Living with fathers: 17%
Living with mothers: 41%
Single-parent children living in metropolitan areas in 1997: 14.5 million
Single-parent children living in cities with populations of 1 million or more in 1997: 9.2 million
Percentage of births which were to unmarried women in 1997: 32%
Percentage of same-sex female householders with kids in 1998: 17%
Percentage of women with kids before marriage who were divorced within 10 years as of 1995: 50%
For US Census Bureau data on child support for custodial parents, please click here.
In 1996, children of divorce were 50% more likely than their counterparts from intact families to divorce.
In 19 states reporting custody in 1997: 72% of custody were awarded to the wife, 9% were awarded to the husband. In 16% joint custody was awarded. Parents who are awarded and receive child support have higher incomes.
Fatherless homes account for 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless/runaway children, 85% of children with behavior problems, 71% of high school dropouts, 85% of youths in prison, well over 50% of teen mothers.
Miscellaneous:
Married women earning at least $5,000 a year more than their husbands: 8.408 million (14.9% of all married women)
Unmarried women earning at least $5,000 a year more than their partners: 821,000 (21.5% of unmarried couples)
Married men earning at least $5,000 a year more than their wives: 33.228 million (58.8% of all married men)
Unmarried men earning at least $5,000 a year more than their partners: 2.099 million (54.9% of unmarried couples)
Married couples in which only the husband is employed: 12.642 million (22.4%)
Married couples in which only the wife is employed: 3.855 million (6.8%)
Married couples in which both partners are employed: 30.212 million (53.5%)
Unmarried couples in which only the male is employed: 695,000 (18.2%)
Unmarried couples in which only the female is employed: 410,000 (10.7%)
Unmarried couples in which both partners are employed: 2.484 million (65%)
Percentage of smokers who had been divorced in 1997: 49%
Percentage of nonsmokers who had been divorced in 1997: 32%
Percentage of divorces due to economic problems in 1997: 4.2%
Percentage of divorces due to irreconcilable differences in 1997: 80%
(Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Health Statistics, Americans for Divorce Reform, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Institute for Equality in Marriage, American Association for Single People, Ameristat, Public Agenda)