Mass. has lowest the divorce rate

[clevedark]

The highest divorce rates in the nation are in the South in areas of high poverty and low education. I'm sure many of the Northeastern states have low divorce rates because of inverse indicators--low poverty and high education.

Is it easier to stay married when you've got some money?

[meltinjohn]

I would think this has to do with the fact that when you get to know MA people, that they tend to be loyal to the ones they love.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by holden125

I think there are plenty of factors, including the Catholic and highly-edcuated-population issues, but I wonder how much the Commonwealth's alimony laws come into this. I'm not sure people would stay married rather than face that system, but it appears some couples who would be prime candidates for divorce just don't get married in Massachusetts to begin with since they don't want exposure to the alimony laws.

Great point about the alimony laws as MA is one of the most expensive states to get divorced in and also if your a guy and get divorced in MA the law heavily favors women no matter what. MA has lots of outdated laws that still haven't been changed.

[brightdoglover]

People marry younger (maybe too young) in religious areas like the Bible Belt. Perhaps they are too young to make a lifelong decision. I think in religious people, it might be the way it used to be for so many people- if you weren't supposed to have sex before marriage, then you're gonna get married earlier, not later. Again, you might not marry very well.

[clevedark]

So many people I know who married in their 20s have gotten divorced. Not so in their 30s.

Someone else also mentioned the marriage rate--I wonder what the marriage rate is here, like how many couples are cohabitating and/or are have children but haven't married.

It's probably here in city data somewhere.

[pjscdn]

As a MA native married over 20 years, and know many people like myself, I sense there are several factors for this statistic. I've noticed people here tend to wait much longer in lfe to tie the knot than other areas. It is not uncommon to run into people around 30 years old finally getting hitched. I've noticed people here do tend to enjoy their freedom for awhile before settling down.

I've also noticed that people here who are well educated do tend to have long lasting martial relationships. I think that factor helps relieve the financial pressures that can unravel relationships.

I don't think Catholicism is a major factor - not as much as one would believe. The Catholic Church is as highly revered here to me, especially after the abuse scandals involving priests.

One factor that was mentioned in a previous post that I think does have a lot of merit is the high cost of divorce and alimony. The MA courts has, in my eyes, a well deserved reputation for being very aggressive when it comes to aliminy and child support. Your best bet if you're splitting up is to do it as amicably as possible, and settle the finances before finalizing the procedures. If you're the breadwinner and end up in front of a judge in a bitter divorce, you will suffer dearly, especially if there are children involved.

[neil0311]

Do you think the large Irish, Italian, and Hispanic Catholic populations have anything to do with it? How about the high cost of living and reluctance of both men and women to try and live on their own? How about the regressive child support system in MA that automatically soaks the man?

[smarty]

Originally Posted by LeavingMA

Great point about the alimony laws as MA is one of the most expensive states to get divorced in and also if your a guy and get divorced in MA the law heavily favors women no matter what. MA has lots of outdated laws that still haven't been changed.

Must be a male thing.... Holden125, LeavingMA and I are all thinking the same way. I know many people are staying together because they cannot afford to divorce and have 2 separate households. High cost of housing reduce divorce rate... what a headline!!!

[CaseyB]

Originally Posted by smarty

Must be a male thing.... Holden125, LeavingMA and I are all thinking the same way. I know many people are staying together because they cannot afford to divorce and have 2 separate households. High cost of housing reduce divorce rate... what a headline!!!

That's true, at least in the current recession, but I don't see any relevance in those statistics unless you knew what states these couples were originally married in. Since the U.S. population is moving south and west, (and moving is itself very stressful) that's where most of the divorces are being filed.

[LeavingMA]

Originally Posted by pjscdn

As a MA native married over 20 years, and know many people like myself, I sense there are several factors for this statistic. I've noticed people here tend to wait much longer in lfe to tie the knot than other areas. It is not uncommon to run into people around 30 years old finally getting hitched. I've noticed people here do tend to enjoy their freedom for awhile before settling down.

I've also noticed that people here who are well educated do tend to have long lasting martial relationships. I think that factor helps relieve the financial pressures that can unravel relationships.

I don't think Catholicism is a major factor - not as much as one would believe. The Catholic Church is as highly revered here to me, especially after the abuse scandals involving priests.

One factor that was mentioned in a previous post that I think does have a lot of merit is the high cost of divorce and alimony. The MA courts has, in my eyes, a well deserved reputation for being very aggressive when it comes to aliminy and child support. Your best bet if you're splitting up is to do it as amicably as possible, and settle the finances before finalizing the procedures. If you're the breadwinner and end up in front of a judge in a bitter divorce, you will suffer dearly, especially if there are children involved.

Just to add to somethings that you said...people do seem to wait longer here to get married. I think a big part of that is many people after college start their career and also go back to grad school. So many are already cash strapped and have a lot going on before they even think about marriage. So usually it doesn't happen until their late 20's and early 30's when they are finished with school.

I also find more people up in the northeast that are in 4 or 5 year relationships and are not engaged or close to being married. When I've visited down south and talk to people who are in their early to mid 20's a four year relationship isn't as common because they would be married already...unless they are high school sweathearts or something along those lines.