A New Book Challenges Divorce Theory

A recent edition of Time magazine reported marriage statistics from a chapter of a new book entitled, For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage, by New York Times reporter Tara Parker-Pope. The author challenges the standard marriage statistic that 50 percent of all marriages end in divorce. Time reports that according to Pope, marriage stability is improving. Of those college graduates who were married in the 90s, only 16 percent divorced within 10 years, compared to 23 percent of those married in the 1970s.

One clear indicator of marriage stability is the age a person marries. According to research at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, 81 percent of college graduates who wed in the 1980s at age 26 or older were still married at 20 years; while 65 percent of college graduates who married younger than 26 were still together at 20 years. Only 49 percent of high school graduates that married younger than 26 were still married at the 20 year mark.

From “Divorcing by the Numbers,” Time. May 24, 2010