Charlotte Divorce Lawyer Blog
According to the Delaware-Johns Hopkins Project for the Study of Intelligence and Society, a person of “below average” intelligence is 50 percent more likely to be divorced than one of “above average” intelligence. Spouses with IQs of 100 have a 28 percent probability of divorce in the first five years of marriage, as compared to a 9 percent probability for those with IQs of 130 or higher.
Divorce Predictor #10: You are a woman two or more years older than your husband.
If a wife is two or more years older than her husband, her marriage is 53 percent more likely to end in divorce than if her husband was one to three years younger. According to the Melbourne Institute researchers, wide age gaps between spouses can create many problems, including sexual discord. Because our society is focused on personal satisfaction and happiness, marriage partners are less likely to be satisfied with one who is not their chronological or physical equal.
Divorce Predictor #9: You and your partner have been in previous marriages.
If both spouses have had previous marriages, they are 90 percent more likely to get divorced than if they are both in their first marriage, according to the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research. Although a great deal of data indicates that second marriages should be statistically more successful that first marriages, serial marriers (think Elizabeth Taylor) skew the statistics.
Divorce Predictor #8: You live in Wayne County, Indiana.
Wayne County is a rural county on the Indiana and Ohio border that leads the nation in annual percentage of divorced residents. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2008 report, 19.2 percent of marriages in Wayne County end in divorce. Monoe County in Florida, which includes the Florida Keys, takes second place in the nation with an 18% divorce rate.
Divorce Predictor #7: You are not religious.
According to the Barna Research Group, atheists have a 30 percent divorce rate, compared to a 38 percent chance for non-Christians. Conversely, evangelical Christians have a 26 percent likelihood of being divorced, compared to Catholics at 28 percent.
Divorce Predictor #6: You have a daughter.
If you have a daughter rather than a son, you are nearly 5 percent more likely to divorce, according to research conducted by the Council on Contemporary Families. This statistic also multiplies with each new birth in the family. Researchers theorize that this statistic exists because fathers tend to become more invested in family life when they have boys.
Divorce Predictor #5: You are the only smoker in your marriage.
If only one partner in a marriage is a smoker, the couple is 75 to 91 percent more likely to divorce than married partners who are fellow smokers. According to a study conducted by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, the more similar people are in their values, backgrounds, and life goals, the more likely they are to have a successful marriage. Many dissimilarities between partners can increase their divorce risk, from age to ethnicity to unhealthy habits such as smoking.
Divorce Predictor #4: Your parents are divorced.
If your parents are divorced, you are at least 40 percent more likely to get divorced than if they are still married. Moreover, if your parents remarried new spouses after divorcing, you are 91 percent more likely to get divorced. Divorce Magazinepublisher Dan Couvrette attributes these statistics to a certain mindset held by children of divorcees – being a witness to your parents’ divorce creates an ambivalence regarding commitment in today’s “disposable society.” Therefore, in the minds of children of divorcees, it is easier to divorce and start over in a new marriage than it is to fix the currently troubled marriage.
Divorce Predictor #3: You argue about finances weekly.
According to the National Marriage Project’s “State of Our Unions” Report for 2009, if you argue with your spouse about finances once per week, your marriage is 30 percent more likely to end in divorce than if you argue with your spouse about finances more infrequently. This report also found that couples with no assets at the beginning of a three-year period are 70 percent more likely to divorce by the end of the three-year period than couples who start with $10,000 in assets. This is because most divorce risk factors (such as age or education level) correlate with poverty.
Divorce Predictor #2: You live in a red state.
According to the National Vital Statistics Report of 2003, if you live in a red state (Republican-leaning), you are 27 percent more likely to get divorced than those who reside in a blue state (Democrat-leaning). The theory behind this statistic is that red state couples tend to traditionally marry younger than blue state couples – and the younger the couple, the more at-risk the marriage is. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the states that perform the median youngest marriages are Utah, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.