Marriages are lasting longer before ending in divorce

The Office of National Statistics has today revealed that marriages are lasting longer with heterosexual couples staying married for an average of 13 years before divorcing, the longest period since records began in 1963.

Jo Edwards, Head of Family at Forsters provides reasons as to why couples are staying together for longer:

“The marriage rate is decreasing.  This suggests that those who do make the commitment, do so carefully (usually after a period of cohabitation) and are therefore more likely to stay the course for longer.

“Many of those who have taken time out of the workplace to raise children may also want to re-establish some earning capacity before starting divorce proceedings (especially as the courts are increasingly likely to expect someone in that position to exploit their earning capacity on divorce and work towards financial independence).

“It feels as though, more than ever, people are more financially savvy and think carefully about the financial picture before starting divorce proceedings.  With the growth in the number of pre- and post-nuptial agreements in England, there is ever more financial openness between couples and they may decide to wait to divorce until the financial picture is more favourable.  This is especially the case in times of economic uncertainty and it may well be that the post-pandemic/cost of living crisis factors are driving people waiting to divorce.”