In the United States, a divorce occurs roughly every 36 seconds. This means that there are almost 2,400 divorces occurring every day, 16,800 every week, and 876,000 every year. It’s interesting to note that women are responsible for filing most of these divorce cases, which accounts for approximately 66% of all these cases filed in the United States.
When couples marry when they’re less than 20 years of age, they tend to have the highest divorce rate. In fact, they are roughly 1.5 times more likely to become divorced than older couples. When they wait until they are between 20 to 24 years of age to marry, they have a better chance at success. If couples wait a few more years when they’re older than 25, their chances of becoming divorced are reduced.
First marriages end in divorce less often than second marriages. United States’ researchers have estimated that 40% to 50% of first marriages result in divorce and 60% of second marriages do.
Most divorced mothers will usually have custody of their children. In the United States, this is the case with 90% of these cases. While it is more common for mothers to be awarded custody, approximately 10% of fathers may receive custody. Shared custody may also be a possible outcome or option after a divorce.
While 79% of custodial mothers will receive child support, just 30% of custodial fathers tend to receive a child support award. In 65% of these cases, divorced mothers may not receive any support for their children. While this may be due to a variety of reasons, it’s also possible that their children’s fathers have defaulted on child support payments.
When fathers are awarded custody, more than 46% of non-custodial mothers have completely defaulted on their child support payments. However, just 27% of fathers without custody have defaulted on these payments to help support their children.
After becoming divorced, it is noteworthy that nearly 50% of parents with children experience dire financial circumstances. This is so much so, that they become poverty-stricken.
Are you looking for a divorce attorney? If you have children, it’s a good idea to speak with a family law attorney to provide you with advice and counsel on issues such as child custody, visitation rights, child support, alimony, and palimony. Since a family law attorney has experience in this area of the law, they will be aware of the different types of issues that can potentially arise during a divorce.