Divorce in Utah and How to Prevent It

In 2010 there were over 10,000 divorces in Utah (Utah's Vital Statistics Marriages and Divorces 2009 and 2010 Utah Department of Health Center for Health Data). We need to divorce-proof our marriages!

strongermarriage.org has a few helpful links:

does divorce make people unhappy?

a video: 5 ways to save your marriage

here are some things I have learned from my Family Public Policy class about divorce:

·      unhappy spouses who divorced and remarried were no happier than unhappy spouses who stayed married.

·      Psychological wellbeing: Divorce did not reduce symptoms of depression for unhappily married adults or raise their self esteem, or increase their sense of mastery compared to unhappy spouses who stayed married

What happens to unhappy marriages (10%)

·      20% divorced, 80% still married

·      60% happy (rebound)

·      26% better, but not quite happy

·      14% still unhappy

These statistics show that unhappy marriages often have a chance at becoming happy again! 

What are the major reasons people give for their divorce?

·      Lack of commitment (73%) or unequal commitment

·      Too much arguing (56%)

·      Infidelity (55%) 

·      Married too young (46%)

·      Unrealistic expectations (45%)

·      Lack of equality (44%) this one has probably declined a lot

·      Lack of preparation (41%)

·      Abuse (30%) uncommon

A lot of these weaknesses in relationship can be changed and improved by work and using the resources available in our community: click here for a huge list of ways to improve your marriage!

good news for me and my fellow college students: ·      YOUR demographic divorce rate risk is low- well educated, same religion, parents good marriage, older than 22, white. Your risk for divorce is quite low, almost 10%!