How the Economy Influences Divorce Rates

Money matters can influence when couples decide to call it quits. Starting with the Great Depression in the 1920s, divorce rates saw a big drop and couples were more inclined to stay together during the financial hardship, not to because mention legal fees were too expensive for many. The same thing happened during the recent recession, whereby it saw falling divorce rates.

Although it may seem that couples who stick together amidst an economic crisis is a positive occurrence, surveys revealed that marital stress was high. This is why experts who studied the connection between marital health and the status of the economy stated that a bad economy doesn’t necessarily strengthen a relationship. It may, at times, only encourage couples to delay separation—that is, until they can finally afford it.

According to a study published by the Population Research and Policy Review, from 2008-2009 when there was a U.S. subprime mortgage and financial crisis, the divorce rate among married went down from 2.09% to 1.95% – but the rates crept back up to 1.98% in 2010 and 2011 as the economy began to recover. Indeed, it can be said that the state of the economy and divorce rates have a directly proportional relationship in which a rise in the former results with the increase of the latter.