Do you know that African-American men are, of all racial/ethnic groups in the United States, most likely to part with their marriage partners? Well, that’s what the research conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed.
As per the statistics, 39.4% of African-American men dissolved their marriages in 2018. This lot was closely followed by American-Indian and Alaska-Native men, both with a divorce rate of 38.9%, while Hispanic men registered a divorce percentage of 32.5.
Non-Hispanic white men also experienced divorce, albeit at a much-reduced rate of 25.6%.
Unfortunately, the cause of this increased risk of divorce isn’t apparent yet. However, an article recently published by Forbes revealed that different cultural norms and systemic biases that undermine family structures in some ethnic groups could be to blame.
The Journal of Marriage and Family analyzed data from the 2002 National Survey of Families and Households in an attempt to determine why divorce cases are more prevalent among some ethnic groups than others.
The journal revealed that economic, psychological, and social factors all play an essential part in defining the fate of marriage among African-Americans. It also highlighted that social and economic marginalization, and especially of black men, could be responsible for the high divorce rate.
But then, it’s important to still note that the divorce rate of African-American men, although still alarming, has improved over the years.
In 2009, for instance, it was 47.4%, a really high rate for divorce. So, as much as the divorce rate is higher in African-American men, the numbers have been dwindling over the years.
Do interracial couples have higher divorce rates?
There really isn’t any evidence to show that interracial couples do worse in marriage than couples from the same race. In fact, we’ve had several research studies suggesting the clear opposite: that interracial marriages thrive at a higher rate than marriages bringing together a couple from the same race.
Let’s take the 2020 study conducted by the Pew Research Center as our case in point. As per the findings of this research, only 6% of couples in interracial marriages experienced divorce. That’s much lower than the 10% recorded in couples from the same race.
Sounds untrue? Well, a Gallup study conducted in 2018 is there to support this claim, but with slightly varying numbers.
As per this study, interracial marriages resulted in 8% of divorces, while same-race marriages experienced up to 13% couple separation rates.
Another 2017 study by the Social Science Research Center also revealed similar trends, clearly establishing that couples from varying races are more likely to make it in the school of marriage than those belonging to the same race.
But why is this separation rate high among couples of the same race? Shouldn’t sharing similar beliefs, language, and cultural values give marriage an upper hand to thrive rather than the opposite?
Well, these are some of the questions that no research has managed to answer. However, experts have pointed out that diversity in terms of race is more likely to do marriage good than harm.
According to marriage professionals, interracial marriages often meet minds that are prepared to accept individual differences. Often, this “acceptance” of personal differences serves as a major protective factor among interracial couples, minimizing their risk of divorce.
What is the divorce rate of Black couples?
The divorce rate of black couples stands at 28%, meaning that there are 28 divorces in every 100 black couple marriages. That’s going by the study findings released by the U.S. Census Bureau in their 2019 study.
28% is slightly higher than the nation’s average divorce rate of 25%. In an attempt to establish some of the factors behind the high divorce rates, it was established that black couples marrying before the age of 25 have higher divorce rates of 33% than those marrying older (around 26%).
The same research also revealed a correlation between divorce rates in black couples and poverty, similar to what was reported by Forbes. According to this research, black couples who are in poverty have a much higher chance of divorce. The same applies to those living in different localities.
But that’s not the only study showing black couples divorce at a higher rate. Several researchers have come out in support of the same. However, most of these researchers have emphasized the role of socio-economic status in determining the fate of marriages in black couples.
According to most of the researchers, race doesn’t directly define whether or not marriage will be successful, but socio-economic status truly does.
In other studies, it has also been discovered that black couples are disproportionately more likely to have lower education levels and, thus, lower income levels, leading to increased rates of divorce among these couples.
What races get divorced the most?
While it’s tough to establish whether divorce rates are truly linked to the mere factor of race, research studies have shown that Native Americans/ American Indians are most susceptible to getting divorced. The statistics revealed that 8.6 of every 1,000 of these married couples divorced.
African Americans were found to come second in divorce rates. According to the same source, 8.2 out of every 1000 opposite-sex married couples from the 2 races ended their marriage with a divorce.
Whites had a much lower divorce rate than the two, registering a meager 5.2 divorce cases for every 1000 opposite-sex married couples. But they still aren’t the least likely to divorce because we still have Hispanics and Asian Americans.
Borrowing stats from the same study, Asian Americans were the least likely to embrace separation in marriages, with only 3.2 cases in every 1000 opposite-sex marriages. Hispanics come between Asian Americans and Whites, with their divorce rate reported to be 4.9 per 1000 married couples.
What is the #1 cause of divorce?
The leading cause of divorce in most marriages is a lack of communication and a feeling of dissatisfaction in the marriage. Where there’s a communication breakdown, satisfaction in the relationship drastically drops, conflicts increase, relationship quality diminishes, and eventually, trust issues creep in, making divorce a more likely outcome if the couple doesn’t talk things out.
But of course, all doesn’t emanate from poor or lack of communication. Other factors like infidelity, financial issues, and disagreements between parents from both sides have also triggered several divorces.
However, lack of communication and the feeling of dissatisfaction still remain the leading cause of separation for married couples.
What is second wife syndrome?
Second-wife syndrome basically involves the mistreatment of a second wife by the man — now the husband — which may encompass neglect or emotional, psychological, and, in some cases, physical abuse.
This marriage problem emanates from various factors, like the insecurity of the new wife and her inability to live up to the expectations of the man in regards to filling the spaces left by the previous wife.
For instance, if the previous wife served as the breadwinner and had extensive control over the relationship dynamics, second-wife syndrome can emerge when the new wife fails to meet the standards set by her predecessor.
But then, don’t get it all wrong. The second-wife syndrome doesn’t exclusively affect women. It can apply to either of the genders in second marriages. But in most cases, it is presumed that women are the most affected. Hence, the term is typically used to refer to husbands mistreating second wives.
For marriages experiencing this problem, open communication, therapies, and counseling can go a long way to settling the differences. A skilled therapist can help the couple pinpoint any unresolved issues from previous marriage and provide possible solutions. They can also help if the problem comes from insecurities or other sources.
What is the age difference for husband and wife?
When it comes to the age difference for a husband and wife, it’s not cast in stone. This difference varies with personal preferences and life circumstances. But in most cases, the man is usually older than the wife by at least some years.
Let’s take India as an example. In this country, husbands tend to be 5 to 7 years older than their wives due to traditional preferences for the husband being older by that gap.
In other countries, the trend of husbands being older than their wives still carries on in most cases. However, the variation in age isn’t set and can range from a few days or months to 30 years or even more.
Ultimately, age gap isn’t a significant factor as long as the couple is happy together and willing to swallow up any differences in their ages. In fact, men are even getting married to much older women, and their marriages are thriving.
Are 2nd marriages more successful?
While one may think carrying experience from the first marriage guarantees high chances of success in the second marriage, that’s not the case. Statistics show that if you divorced in your first marriage, you are even more likely to fail in your second attempt at marriage.
And when the unexpected happens in your second marriage, and you remarry the third time, the chances of the new marriage succeeding are even slimmer!
Statistically, the more you grow the number of marriages you’ve been into, the more you increase the likelihood of divorce!
Want me to prove it with the numbers? Let’s take a look at a study published by Psychology Today.
According to this source, 48% of all first marriages end with a split up. That’s still a very high rate, but not as much because the second and third marriages fail at stratospheric rates of 60% and 70%, respectively.
The reason for it getting worse as you “advance” to the second marriage? Well, all the factors that caused you trouble in your first marriage, plus… more intense financial issues arising from child support and spousal maintenance payments.
And as you proceed to the third marriage, the more harm you’re doing to yourself. This is because you will encounter not only the issues from your first two marriages but also additional financial obligations in child support and spousal maintenance payments. These responsibilities pile up the more you get involved in more marriages.
How common is it to remarry your ex?
Generally, it’s relatively uncommon to remarry an ex-partner. The chances of getting into a nuptial arrangement with someone you once married depend on the individual circumstance.
But statistically speaking, it doesn’t happen very often, with only 6.6% of Americans embracing the idea of giving marriage a second shot with a partner they once divorced.
In some cases, remarriage happens owing to financial and logistical factors or when the two initial partners become closer to one another or grow more mature enough than they were at first.
But then, as already stated, remarriage only happens for a small percentage of people. The majority of divorced partners rule out the possibility of remarriage, citing the need for new experiences and direction in life. Some avoid it as a way to elude the age-old stigma that comes with remarrying a former spouse.
Ultimately, whether remarrying an ex is a smart decision depends on a variety of individual factors, such as whether the couple has resolved their issues and if they’re compatible.
Are divorced men more likely to remarry?
Sure, divorced men are more likely than divorced women to remarry. As per recent statistics published by Gitnux, 64% of divorced men remarry, higher than the 52% remarriage rate in women.
The cause of this gender disparity remains unknown, but some researchers have come out to try and explain why the men’s numbers are higher than those of women.
One research study shows that men seek out the security of relationships more than their female counterparts. That means men are more inclined to get into new marriages sooner than women once things go haywire in their initial marriages.
Some experts believe that the variation in the remarriage statistics could have something to do with the size of men’s social networks. According to these experts, men generally have a larger social network than women, making it easier for them to get a partner to marry once they divorce.
One thing worth mentioning, however, is that remarriage rates have been decreasing for both genders over the years. But as it stands, men have a higher likelihood of remarrying than women following a divorce.
Who is happiest after divorce?
We don’t have a definite answer to this question, as it depends on the individual circumstances of each spouse after the divorce. In other words, it can be the man, the woman, or even both parties.
Where it’s both parties, happiness can originate from several aspects. On the side of one partner, for instance, the separation may come from a greater sense of freedom and relief initially lacking, making them happier on the basis of these two factors.
On the other partner’s side, they may feel better off financially with fewer financial responsibilities and, hence, better placed to pursue their passions and other things that bring them joy.
Sometimes, it all starts gloomy for either of the partners or even both after divorce. But with time, healing happens, and it becomes easier to find happiness post-divorce. I am running a few minutes late; my previous meeting is running over.
What percentage of interracial marriages end in divorce?
The exact percentage of interracial marriages that end in divorce is not available, as most marriage records don’t capture the races of the couples involved. However, several studies have revealed that interracial couples are more likely to have successful marriages than those from the same race.
Let’s travel a bit back in time and examine a study by the State University of New York. Researchers studied 7,000 marriages and noticed that marriages involving spouses from different races were 30% less likely to divorce than marriage arrangements involving two people of the same race.
The study also revealed another interesting trend — that couples who begin to cohabit before they say “Yes I do” are more likely to divorce regardless of whether they share the same race or not.
Back on the interracial divorce rate, a different study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization concurs with the discovery made at the State University of New York. As per the 2017 study, it turned out that couples that come from distinct races have a 15% less chance of divorce than those sharing a race.
What is the highest divorce rate for interracial marriage?
Different sources have come with varying statistics on the interracial marriage divorce rate. But it’s about 40%. However, it could be even lower considering that interracial marriage is a relatively new phenomenon in the US, and there’s still not a lot of research done on it.
A 2006 study by the Institute for Family Studies revealed that divorce rates for White-Black, White-American, and white-Hispanic couples were 42%, 31%, and 28%, respectively. White-Asian couples were least likely to part ways in marriage, with their divorce rate as low as 23%.
While some of these numbers are higher than the reported divorce rate of 31% for White-White marriages, they’re still significantly lower than the divorce rate of Black-Black couples — at 55%!
Do interracial marriages last longer?
While some people still believe that marrying from one’s own race guarantees a greater likelihood of success in marriage, several studies have come out to dispute this age-old claim.
Sure, cross-cultural relationships may face discrimination issues or disputes from contradicting cultural traditions. But then, most of the time marriage success depends on the couple’s willingness and commitment to see their union work.
And actually, as earlier stated, interracial marriages are more likely to succeed than marriages involving people from the same race because, in the case of 2 races, both spouses marry having accepted to embrace the differences already visible during the time of marriage and any that might follow after tying the knot.
In fact, more and more people are beginning to embrace intermarriage. As brought out in a study conducted by Gallup in 2021, up to 94% of Americans were willing to marry a spouse from a different race as long as they had everything else they needed in a partner.
That’s a stupefying increment from the 4% interracial approval rate recorded in a similar 1958 study conducted by the same organization. And being 3 years since the most recent study was conducted, chances are the approval rate for interracial marriages has increased from 94%.
But ultimately, it’s good to recognize we can’t generalize that interracial marriages last longer. Each interracial marriage is unique, and one’s race doesn’t have any significant impact on whether or not the marriage will be successful.
Every relationship faces its fair share of challenges regardless of the race of the partners. But for interracial couples, it’s important that they be open and willing to table any cultural differences or issues and find a neutral way to handle them. With the support and understanding of both partners, every marriage can last a lifetime.
Which community has less divorce?
Unfortunately, there is no absolute answer to this question. Divorce leans more on factors like religious beliefs, socioeconomic factors, and cultural values, which most of the time are shared across several communities. This makes it hard to single out one community as having fewer divorce cases.
Nonetheless, we still have to pay attention to what the National Center for Health Statistics unearthed in their research: that certain religious affiliations tend to experience less divorce than others.
This has been backed up by several research studies. In one of these studies, it was revealed that couples who identify themselves as evangelical Protestants, black Protestants, and Catholics are less inclined to divorce than those not belonging to any particular region.
For example, the research suggests that couples who identify as evangelical Protestants, black Protestants, and Catholics experience lower divorce rates than those who do not identify with any particular religion.
