• 24
  • June
    2011

Depending on how it is measured, the American divorce rate is roughly three times the rate of divorce in Great Britain and France. According to statistics, 23 percent of Americans are divorced within five years of marriage. In Great Britain and France, only 8 percent of married couples are divorced within five years of tying the knot.

One possible explanation for the difference is America's "No-Fault Divorce" law. In every state (New York was the last to pass the law in 2010), couples can file for a no-fault divorce. This essentially means that they can be divorced without a traditional reason, like on the grounds of adultery or physical abuse. Now one individual in the marriage can say it's over, and it will be over - regardless of whether that is what the other spouse wants. Eighteen states require a waiting period before the divorce can be granted, in order to allow the couple time to reconcile.

This waiting period is even greater for divorcing couples in Britain and France. If a spouse asks for a no-fault divorce and the other spouse disagrees, then the couple must live apart of several years (five in Britain, six in France) in order to allow them to reconsider the decision. With wait times as long as these it is likely that more reconciliations happen, which is why the divorce rate is lower in these countries than in the U.S.

And this high rate of divorce has a substantial economic impact. The average divorce has at least one child involved. In most cases, this will make the family eligible for government subsidies such as welfare, food stamps and Medicare - which, in turn, costs taxpayers an average of about $20,000 per divorce.

With increasing state budget crises, a number of states are looking to decrease the costs of divorce. Thirteen states are considering enacting the "Parental Divorce Reduction Act." Under this act, those looking to get divorced would have to wait a year before their divorce would be finalized. In addition, couples would be required to take education classes about marriage conflicts and the impact of divorce before they could even file.

Source: TheDailyReporter.com, "First in Print: Why is America's divorce rate the highest in the world?," 5/23/11.