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Declining Divorce Rates in the 2000s In recent years, the overall rates of both marriages and divorces have declined for a variety of reasons. People Marry When They Are Older According to data collected by the US Census Bureau between 2006 and 2016, people are waiting until they are older to get married. By 2016, the average age for men to marry was 30 and for women was 28. 5 Couples in their early 30s tend to have better jobs and more financial security than younger people. 6 They have also developed stronger emotional maturity, allowing them to “make better choices about whom they marry,” 7 leading to fewer divorces. Cohabitation Cohabitation means a couple lives together in the same home, sharing household responsibilities without being married. Some couples cohabitate for a while to decide if they are compatible

AVERAGE DIVORCE RATES OVER TIME

1940–1949 – 28.8% 1950–1969 – 19.8% 1970–1979 – 44.7% 1980–1989 – 50% 1990–1999 – 44.4% 2000–2009 – 37.3% 2010–2016 – 33% 4

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Chapter 1: Divorce Today