Children of divorce are sticking at marriage, as ONS reveals divorce rate fallen to lowest for almost 50 years

Children of divorce are sticking at marriage, experts say, as official figures reveal that the divorce rate has fallen to the lowest for almost 50 years.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) today published data showing that there were 90,871 divorces of opposite-sex couples in 2018, a decrease of 10.6% compared with 2017 and the lowest number since 1971.

Researchers also found that the percentage of marriages ending in divorce has been decreasing for those who have married since the mid-1990s.

The Divorce Reform Act 1969, which came into effect on 1 January 1971, made it easier for couples to divorce upon separation.

Following the publication of the latest divorce statistics, family lawyers claimed that the children of divorce are likely to want to avoid the trauma of splitting up their own families. 

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Zahra Pabani, family law partner at Irwin Mitchell said: “If divorce rates are dropping because of genuine happiness and relationships working out, then that is fantastic and should be lauded. 

“On the other hand, children of divorce may have seen their parents go through a traumatic time when they were younger, either with the financial pressure divorce creates or the emotional devastation it can cause for a family. They may think these are strong enough reasons for avoiding divorce, but putting themselves first is key.

The priority should always be saving your marriage if you can – guidance counselling is a wonderful thing, and getting the right help can be what couples need to see it through. But if divorce rates are dropping because people want to save money or avoid trauma, then that is not a healthy dynamic in couples or for their own children, who will still suffer.”

Divorce rates for heterosexual couples in England and Wales fell last year to their lowest for nearly half a century, with 'unreasonable behaviour' being the most common reason for splits, the new data reveals.

There were 90,871 divorces of opposite-sex couples in 2018 - a drop of 10.6 per cent compared with the previous year (101,669) and the lowest number since 1971, the ONS said.

The divorce rate fell to 7.5 divorces per 1,000 married men and women from 8.4 in the previous year.

Recent Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data highlights an administrative reason behind the scale of this decrease: divorce centres processed a backlog of work in 2018 resulting in 8% more divorce petitions; we expect this to translate into a higher number of completed divorces in 2019.

Couples were married for an average of 12-and-a-half years, according to the figures.

The latest statistics showed that the percentage of couples that divorced after five years in 1998 was 10.4%, by 2008 it was 7.8% and by 2013 was 5.9%.

It also showed that the percentage of couples who divorced after ten years in 1998 was 23/6% and by 2008 this fell to 19.4%. Meanwhile the percentage of those who had divorced after 20 years in 1998 was 37%.

However, Harry Benson, research director at the Marriage Foundation, added: “Although administrative problems may have caused some divorces that should have gone through in 2018 to be delayed a year, this should not stop us from seeing the big story of the sustained long-term fall in divorce rates.

“Couples who married five years ago have experienced a full 50 per cent fewer divorces compared to couples who married in the late 1980s - the peak years for divorce.

“We are seeing ever greater stability within marriage and instability out of it.”