Young Couples and Divorce
Today approximately 50% of all marriages end in divorce. While this is the average across all couples, this number does not reflect the likelihood of divorce for different age ranges. People who get married for the first time later in life are much less likely to get divorced, perhaps because they are more settled, have a steady job, or have taken time to plan before marriage. Young couples, on the other hand, especially those aged 18-26, have a high likelihood of divorce upwards of 60%.
Reasons for Young Divorce
Why is there such a high risk of getting divorced at a young age? For many couples, they simply didn’t communicate about their future and more difficult issues before marriage. Perhaps they had very different values and priorities than their spouse, or their priorities and goals changed within a couple of years. Couples who once thought that they were compatible may suddenly find that they actually disagree on issues that are crucial to a solid marriage.
Financial differences are one of the main reasons that couples divorce. One spouse may work diligently, save money, and plan for long-term wealth into retirement. The other spouse may enjoy weekly shopping sprees, fail to plan for the future, and be reluctant to save a portion of every paycheck. Finances can affect every major aspect of a marriage, from buying a home or car to planning a vacation or saving for a child’s college education.
Minimizing Your Chances of Divorce
One way to minimize the risk of divorce later is to talk with your partner about difficult issues now. You may want to discuss religion, politics, having children, finances, life goals, or other topics that will come up later in your marriage.
While you don’t want to barrage your partner with a slew of questions all at once, if you find yourself getting married and you don’t know where your spouse stands on these important issues, perhaps you don’t know them as well as you believe. Learning about one another early on and determining whether or not you will both be able to reconcile any differences later can help keep your marriage healthy for years to come.
Contact Us
If you have been recently married and are considering divorce, you should know that you are not alone. Many young couples find out after getting married that they are incompatible or have irreconcilable differences. To review the legal options available to you, consider consulting with a divorce lawyer.
For sound legal advice and assistance with the divorce process, please contact the experienced Austin divorce lawyers of Slater, Kennon & Pugh Ltd.LLP today at 512-472-2431.