As The Economy Goes South, Divorce Rates Follow

For a long time both federal and local governments as well as family counselors have been working hard to get the devorce rate down in the U.S. Now, the economic system seems to be succeeding in doing what they could not - keep families together. Increasingly dissatisfied married couples find themselves staying together today because of the uncertain economic times ahead. Particularly in two income families where the spouses know that neither of them could survive on just one salary. In other words, until the economy improves, for many people, it's just too expensive to get a divorce.

The divorce rates in many communities bear this out. For example, in Lucas County, Ohio the divorce rate has been trending down, along with the economy, since 2003. The number of divorce filings dropped from 2,047 to 1,839 over a five year span. Local divorce filings in Fairfield, Connecticut, according to a prominent divorce attorney, has decreased 40% in the last year alone.

This scenario is being repeated across the U.S. Even people with assets are affected. The housing bubble implosion saw the homes of many homeowners decline by as much as 50% or more. No one wants to file for divorce when their assets have declined that much. Better to ride it out until the economy recovers and both parties end up with more money.

It's not really a surprise that the number of divorce filings have gone down. If you look back through history, you'll see that tight economic periods are synonymous with a low percentage of divorce. When a couple divorces, suddenly you're talking about supporting two separate households with no increase in monthly income. In addition, you're going to have court fees, moving fees, possible child support and alimony payments, and last but not least, attorney fees.

As a result, some couples have made the decision that rather than seek a divorce, to try one more time to try to work out differences. Some couples actually manage to make it work. They are able to take advantage of the situation and re-connect with the qualities in the person that they were originally attracted to. Others, however, are simply remaining in a holding pattern waiting for the first chance to escape.