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Predicting divorce: How long is a piece of string?

by | Feb 23, 2017 | Divorce, Firm News |

There are ways of being able to predict many things. Some, such as the weather, are based on scientific principles that usually give reasonably accurate results. Others, such as the likelihood of divorce based on statistics, may be more of an indicator than a prediction. Some of the following may seem almost obvious to California residents, while others may make no obvious sense.

Spending in excess of $20,000 on the wedding might get the marriage off to a shaky start, as it could place a serious strain on finances. This seems to contradict the statistic that notes marriages with weddings of more than 200 invitees are more likely to survive. If one spouse engages in an online affair, it makes sense that this is unlikely to be taken well by the other spouse. On the other hand, statistics suggest that if one spouse smokes, then the likelihood of divorce rises by 75 percent.

If one earns less than $25,000, the marriage is less likely to survive, as are marriages where the couple have only attained a high school education. If it is true that a college degree decreases the chance of divorce, then might this be counteracted if one enters into a second or third marriage, which allegedly raises the likelihood of divorce? Similarly, those who marry young may be more likely to divorce than those who wait until they are older; however, having children apparently decreases the likelihood of divorce. This makes it unclear whether, statistically, it is better to have children earlier or later in the marriage.

Statistics can be manipulated in so many ways, depending on what outcome is desired. California residents need only decide for themselves what is vitally important in order to have a successful marriage. Whether the marriage dwindles over time, or perhaps was lacking from the beginning, making the decision to divorce is one that needs to be taken after careful thought and serious discussion.

Source: foxnews.com, “15 Strange Factors That Can Predict Whether You’ll Divorce“, Ossiana Tepfenhart, Feb. 15, 2017

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