On behalf of The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A.
As the U.S. rate of divorce continues to frustrate married couples and spouses-to-be, is there actually a specific time when a marriage is more likely to fall apart? Well, there is.
In 2018, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the U.S. get divorced. But when are Florida couples more likely to go separate ways? Today, we invited our divorce lawyer in Fort Lauderdale from The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A., to answer this question.
Spoiler alert: whether you have been married for a couple of months, years, or decades, the answer may be very surprising.
The Age When Florida Couples Are More Likely to Get Divorced
The scenario is way too common in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere in Florida: the couple gets married in their 20s, then start having kids within the next two years or so, and then spend their 30s and the majority of 40s to raise their children. And then, in their 40s and 50s, Florida families begin to fall apart at an exponential rate.
Spouses in Florida are more likely to file papers for divorce when their children have reached the age of 18, and even more so when their children have left the parent’s home. Our divorce attorney in Fort Lauderdale explains that many parents in their 30s and 40s choose to stay married for the sake of their children even though they have little to no affection for one another and things are no longer working between them.
They choose to wait until the children are mature enough to handle their parent’s divorce. Whether or not it is a rational decision is quite questionable, but without doubt, divorce lawyers all across Florida get a tremendous number of calls from married individuals in their 40s and 50s seeking a divorce.
Raising children, retiring, paying for the children’s education, and many other factors can put a major strain on every marriage, which is why married couples are more likely to get divorced as their children get older.
How Long Do Marriages Last in Florida?
While this varies from one marriage to another, the average length of a marriage in Florida and all across the U.S. is about eight years. Statistics also show that couples are more likely to have an extramarital affair after the first two years of marriage. In fact, about 10 percent of all divorces occur in marriages that lasted up to two years.
However, as surprising as it may sound, men and women over the age of 55 are even more likely to engage in infidelity, which in many cases serves as the final straw and leads to divorce.
The age when you decided to walk down the aisle also plays a major role in determining how long your marriage will last. Statistics show that women aged 15-20 and 45 and over are more likely to get divorced compared to women of other ages. Also, men of all ages who have been previously married are more likely to get divorced at some point in their marriage.
As our Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney has mentioned earlier, as children get older, the likelihood of divorce increases. While many couples choose to postpone their inevitable or long-overdue divorce until the children turn 18 thinking that adult children are more likely to handle their parent’s divorce maturely (which is not always the case), other couples also choose to wait until their children become adults to avoid legal issues such as child custody and child support altogether.
If you are thinking about getting divorced in Florida, do not hesitate to get a free consultation with our lawyers from The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A. Call our offices at 954-533-2756 or complete this contact form today.
