Divorce on the Rise, Again

Some really interesting information has come to hand recently about divorce rates. Although I knew that divorce rates had slowed for a while, I couldn’t understand why. There are a lot of unhappy marriages out there and divorce is relatively easy to do these days. So I have been perplexed for some time why rates had been falling. But what I read this week made sense.

The figures were UK based. Divorce rates dropped between 2008 – 2010, during the economic crisis that gripped the world. Quite simply, couples couldn’t afford to divorce. Divorce in most countries is expensive and a lot of unhappy couples decided it was better to stick together, albeit miserably, than wear the cost of splitting. Seems money troubles can trigger a split, but ironically, money can also be the reason why it’s delayed.

Interestingly though, money is not the major contributor for divorce. It only represents 5% of the most common reasons for a marriage breakdown. The two biggest reasons for marriages failing are, couples growing apart or extra marital affairs. It seems one simply follows the other. Together, they cause over 50% of break ups.

But now that a lot of countries are coping with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), divorce is once again, on the increase. And its women who are the ones filing for divorce. Nearly 70% of divorce petitions are made by the wife.  Clearly, there is a breaking point where women say ‘Enough’.

Most marriages are lasting on average 11 years. Most children of divorce are therefore primary age kids. This has implications on the working mother, as she often has to work part time to be able to look after her children. They are not old enough to be independent or manage themselves. And of course, working part time affects how much money a single mum can earn.

I wonder how many single mothers in Britain have set up their own businesses to cope with this issue? I need to research that some more. I know that in Australia, we have a huge spurt in the number of home based businesses run by women and some incredible ideas from someone’s kitchen or garage have spawned business around the world.

Divorce is real and its effects can be both horrendous and marvellous. It depends on where you are coming from and where you intend to go. You are not alone. There are millions of single mothers around the world and somehow, the majority, find their way forward. You can too. You are a Mother Moving Forward.