As March rapidly approaches, lawyers see a decrease in divorce cases due to the end of “divorce season” – a period between January and early February where the divorce rate spikes across the country.
Despite the end of divorce season, some lawyers may have more business than others according to a recent study. Researchers at the University of Washington observed current patterns for divorce in the United States and found which states have the highest and lowest divorce rates.
Why may your marriage last longer in Illinois?
According to the study, married individuals are less likely to get divorced in states where marriage is less common. A strong example of the pattern was the state of Illinois.
Less than 65 percent of people older than 15 years old were married in Illinois, and Illinois ranks as the fourth lowest state for divorce rate, with 9.41 divorces per 1,000 married people in 2017. The only other states with lower divorce rates include Hawaii, New York and Vermont.
The highest divorce rate is in Arkansas with 17.14 per 1,000 married individuals, where more than 72 percent of people are married.
While the data demonstrates the strong correlation between less marriage and less divorce, researchers only hypothesized why the interest in marriage is decreasing in some states. Some experts suggest that younger generations are waiting for weddings until later ages. Others say there is a correlation between working women and a decreasing marriage rate.
Despite the reasoning, couples in Illinois should hesitate before making large anniversary plans with their spouse. The divorce rate in Illinois is slowly climbing over the last five years, and it is unclear if the increase will continue. If a separation is in your future, you may want to research the possible challenges you face in your state.