A few years back, the AARP warned people of what they termed the “gray divorce.” A gray divorce means that the two people who are splitting are gray haired, which would point directly towards those who are 55 and older. Of course this does not imply that everyone over 55 is gray or that no one under 55 is. It is just a term after all, and not the only divorce term which has been popping up. Another popular term as of late is the “Viagra divorce”. Some people believe that men are restarting their sexual engines due to the use of Viagra and other chemicals that can improve a man’s performance. The thought is that this new found sexual drive can lead to a higher divorce rate among married couples whose children have moved out and are on their own.

In all truthfulness, married couples tend to be happier once the children have left the homestead and they can spend quality time with each other again. All of these new divorce terms got us wondering about real divorce statistics and they should be shared with the world. The gray divorce and Viagra divorce myths were squashed right up front, but with the economy the way it is, many people are worried that divorce might become a possibility.

High powered politicians, celebrities and even those with eight kids have been greeted with divorce papers over the past year. Jon Gosselin was once America’s favorite father but he now finds himself being hung out to dry in the media. Luckily, these stories are not representative of the average divorce in the United States. Statistics show that divorce rates are the highest for black couples and those in the low income bracket. This is something that most Americans do not realize since the media tends to only cover the divorces of wealthy white couples.

The divorce rate does not just discriminate against money or race either. The average age for a female to have her first divorce is 29, while the average age for a man is 30.5. A college education could play an important role in a person’s chances to stay married as well. Statistics show that educated people are less likely to have a child out of wedlock and are also less likely to get divorced.

There are several rumors regarding the divorce rate that are simply untrue. Aside from the gray divorce and Viagra divorce, there are some that believe that marriages are not lasting because people are living longer. People are now living to an average age of 77 when people only used to have an average life span of 47 years old. This rumor can also be shot down however because most divorces do not occur for those of middle age. One fifth of all marriages fizzle out within the first five years.

There are a lot of marriage and divorce myths out there and it is happy to note that the record was set straight regarding divorce statistics. Looking at this info can give you a little more insight on whether or not your marriage could be in trouble based on your situation. With all the negativeness going on in the world, it is no surprise that outlets are reporting a rising trend in divorce.

This entry was posted on May 21, 2010 at 7:31 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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