Why Divorce Myths Will Continue To Exist?

In any aspect of human culture and society there are always myths. So what are the most famous ones when we talk about divorce?

There are some interesting myths that were listed down in an article in Huffington Post and in some other sites. These include the following:

• Half of the marriages end in divorce

• Divorce rate is rising

• The second marriages are more successful than the first one

• Cohabitation reduces risk of divorce

Basically, these myths are based on statistics, more specifically on the interpretation of the data. Data analysis is greatly affected by the methods being used. That's why a totally opposite results can be achieved when the same data is analyzed using a different technique.

Half of the marriages end in divorce → Marriages are getting more stable

It's a generally accepted view that the possibility of ending a relationship in divorce is 50%. However, according to the latest data, divorce cases are already getting lesser as shown in the latest studies. The divorce rate in the US is getting more stable.

Divorce rate is rising → But it's declining for those with college education

As cited by the same article from Huffington Post, according to the National Marriage Project, there is a decline in the divorce rates among those with college education while for the middle class (with lower education levels), there is an increase.

The second marriages are more successful than the first one → The first one is still more stable

According to aresearch conducted by Psychology today, more than 60% of remarriages fail. Furthermore, in a period of ten years – 37% of remarriages fail while just 10% for first marriages.

According to a study entitled Subsequent marriages: which one lasts longer?, the higher rate of divorce cases for second marriages is higher because of “unobserved heterogeneity”, which means that those who experienced divorce are “negatively selected” - they are the ones who cannot endure adjusting to their previous partner. As a result, in their second relationship, there is a higher possibility that they cannot adjust to again, which will result in another case of divorce.

Cohabitation reduces risk of divorce → It delays marriage but does not necessarily result in divorce

According to an article in NYTimes.com, the current number of couples who are cohabiting is 7.5 million. It was just 450,000 back in 1960. That's a 1500% increase in the rate of cohabitation. Most of the Americans in their 20s perceive cohabitation as a test run for actual marriage. Furthermore, according to a survey released by the Pew Research Center, about 2/3 of the Americans perceive cohabitation as step toward marriage.

According to the First Marriages in the United States: Data From the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth released last March 2012, there is really an increase in cohabitation from 3% in 1982 to 11% in 2006. Cohabitation was directly connected to delay in first marriage but not to divorce cases.

So why do myths continue to exist?

Myths continue to exists because they are totally engrained in the consciousness of the people and that they are constantly being passed on from generation to generation.

In the case of myths about divorce, there are some trends that read and heard of because these are proposed by some studies of some credible institutions. However, we always need to be critical of the data or news that we are reading somewhere because some of the data analysis are flawed.

On the other side, one better explanation of these myths is the fact that there are different variables being considered by the different studies about divorce. Each study has its own margin of error and limitations that's why there are some studies that propose different perspectives regarding the same issue.

In this article, Ric explores some myths about divorce. Check more of this posts at MassInjuryFirm.com.