On behalf of The Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A.
According to a recent study of states living with the most stress, in 2020 Florida ranked third in the highest divorce rate among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The divorce rate has dropped in 2021, bringing Florida up a notch to the fourth-highest rate in the U.S. There is good news, Fort Lauderdale’s divorce rate was recently ranked 76th in the state at 14.8%.
When it looks as if divorce is inevitable, the Fort Lauderdale divorce attorneys at the Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances, P.A. are here to make this tough process as easy as possible on you.
Demystifying The Myth Of Divorce
The numbers can be deceiving. We often hear that 50% of all marriages end in divorce. According to the National Survey of Family Growth, the numbers tell a different story. U.S. divorce rates are down and continue to drop. This myth of divorce began around 1980 when divorce rates topped off at 40%, but the rate has progressively decreased since.
About 70% of first marriages last at least a decade. This survival number drops to about 55% as we get closer to the two-decade mark which measures up more favorably for the 50% myth, but not quite.
There are two other major contributors to divorce rates:
- Age matters—The probability of divorce rises in couples marrying younger than 25-years of age. According to the survey, the “magic” age to avoid divorce is between 28 and 32 years old.
- Education counts—people who have a college degree are around 10% less likely to get divorced, but college dropouts have a higher-than-average divorce rate.
Grounds For Divorce In Florida
In the 1970s, a new type of divorce was introduced—the no-fault divorce. Before this more agreeable method, married couples had to claim:
- Abandonment
- Alcohol or drug abuse
- Bigamy
- Incarceration
- Infidelity
- Mental cruelty
Typically, these types of divorces were contentious and full of arguments.
Now, Florida offers two grounds for divorce—mental incapacitation of one spouse or no-fault. If one spouse claims mental incapacitation, it requires a recent legal determination by a judge that the other spouse is mentally ill or incapacitated.
All that needs to be claimed in a no-fault divorce is for the filing spouse to cite irreconcilable differences which can be defined as the marriage coming to an impasse where no agreement or resolution can be found. No-fault divorces are more common because they move fast and make it easier to divide assets.
When Should I Contact A Lawyer?
Sometimes the hardest decisions can result in the brightest future. The choice to divorce can be one of those grueling decisions, but often, divorce often leads to better tomorrow for both parties.
It always helps to have someone with you to help make the divorce process easy, painless, and cost-effective. We can walk with you through every step of your divorce.
If you need legal services regarding:
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- Divorce
- Alimony
- Child support
- Any family court matter
Contact the Fort Lauderdale divorce attorneys Law Office of Gustavo E. Frances for a free consultation of your case by clicking here or calling 954-533-2756.
