The latest official divorce statistics show the overall number of divorces in England and Wales in 2009 were at their lowest level since 1974.
There were 114,000 divorces registered in England and Wales in 2009. This is a 6.4% fall compared to the previous year.
It continues a trend which is partially explained by fewer people choosing to get married. Nearly half of all children are now born to unmarried couples.
There are some interesting findings within these latest divorce figures.
The divorce rate among 25-29 year olds is twice the average compared to other age groups.
This highlights the concept of the ‘starter marriage’, where couples are prepared to marry in their twenties knowing they can divorce before having children without too much stress or financial hardship.
One in three marriages ends in divorce before the fifteenth wedding anniversary, compared to one in five a generation ago.
The average age for a divorce is 44 for men and a little over 41 for women.
Another revealing finding from these figures is that couples are spending less time trying to resolve their differences before turning to the divorce courts.
We work with individuals who are getting divorced to help them understand their financial options, particularly their choices for pension assets which are often the second-largest asset in the marriage.
You can find out more about pensions and divorce at our dedicated microsite www.mypensionanddivorce.co.uk.
Photo credit: Flickr/madmolecule
