The Facts About Divorce in the UK

Nobody enters into marriage thinking that they will end up divorcing their spouse. Everybody sets out with their hopes and dreams of living their happy ever after together. Unfortunately, dreams don’t always come true and many couples across the UK are facing the prospect of divorcing their partner and starting out again. The most recent statistics available about divorce in the UK are from 2007 and give an insight into how, why and when these break-ups are taking place.

Age

The age group with the highest divorce rate is between 25 and 29. This is usually because these couples have been together since a very young age, got married when they weren’t ready and have grown apart from their partner as they have matured in their 20s. The average age for people to get divorced has gone up slightly to 43.1 years for men and 40.6 years for women. Divorce fell across all age ranges apart from for those over the age of 60.

Over 60s

There has been a rise in the amount of divorces taking place in the over 60s age group. The biggest rise has been amongst women filing for divorce. When children leave home and couples retire they realise that they have nothing in common any more. With people living for longer, they decide that they don’t want to spend another 30 years with their partner. Whereas women used to rely heavily on their husbands for financial support, they now have the means to leave.

Amount of Divorces

In 2007 there were 141,750 divorces with 9.7 divorce per 1000 men and 8.7 per 1000 women. These numbers have dropped since 2004 by over 7%. There are a number of possible reasons for this – less people are getting married which lead to a lower divorce rate and people are getting married older so are more ready for the commitment. One in five people who were getting a divorce had been divorced before though, so experience does not always lead to a happy marriage.

Men and Women

It is a common misperception that men are more likely to file for divorce. In fact, in two thirds of cases it is actually the woman who files with the most common reason being their husband’s behaviour. Men appear much more passive in the situation. The most common reason that men gave was that they were divorcing with consent after two years’ separation but they are much less likely to instigate the separation.

It is easy to look at the statistics on divorce rates and start to draw conclusions about the way divorce is changing or the reasons behind it. However, each relationship is unique and will have its own story as to why it failed to work. Divorce is becoming more accepted as is marrying again. If you are facing divorce try to realise that there are many other people out there in your situation. You are not just a statistic and although it may feel like the end, it is only the beginning of the rest of your life.