A recent study has suggested that people should marry between the ages of 28 and 32 if they want a lower chance of divorce in the first five years of marriage. The study was conducted by Nick Wolfinger, a sociologist from the University of Utah and published by the Institute of Family Studies.
To complete his study, Wolfinger analyzed data from 2006-2010 and the 2011-2013 National Survey of Family Growth. His findings demonstrated an upside-down bell curve showing that one’s odds of divorce decline as they age from teenage years through their late twenties and early thirties. Wolfinger’s findings also noted that one’s chances of divorce rise as they move into their late thirties and early forties. After the age of 32 a person’s chance of divorce increases by 5% per year.
There are a plethora of reasons as to why the late 20s and early 30s are the most sensible times to marry. By this age people are old enough to understand if they really get along with their partner. They are also old enough to take on responsibility and make significant life decisions. Most people in that age range are not so set in their ways that they are unable to make the adjustments in their habits and lifestyle that marriage requires.
Other sociologists who studied this topic found doubts in Wolfinger’s research. Philip Cohen from the University of Maryland used data from the American Community survey to determine that getting older does not mean your marriage has less of a chance of survival. According to Cohen’s research, the perfect age to marry is between 45-49 years old.
The truth behind the studies is that divorce is a difficult social pattern to measure as most states decline to collect data on it. Today we also see more and more couples living together without officially getting married, therefore counting the number of divorces is becoming a less useful way of measuring family fracture. There are however a few truths backed by research: having your finances in order and a college degree reduce your chances of getting divorced, as does getting engaged before moving in together, and waiting to have children until after marriage.
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John Schutz
Partner at John F. Schutz, P.L.
Representing clients exclusively in family law cases for the past 24 years, Mr. Schutz is widely regarded as a marital and family law expert. He is Board Certified in marital and family law by The Florida Bar. As a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), Mr. Schutz is committed to elevating the standards and improving the practice of family law.
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