When you’re going through a divorce before the age of 30, it can feel like you’re the only one. When I meet someone else who was divorced in their 20s, I find that one or both of us usually responds with delight. Not that I’m happy that he or she is divorced—far from it—but I am relieved to know that I’m not alone.
So, how rare is it? I checked out the statistics, and for women in my demographic group (white, ages 25-29*), 8.6% have been divorced. Roughly one out of every twelve. Keep in mind that 43.3% of the women in this demographic group have never been married (and thus can’t possibly be divorced).
Answer: Not as rare as I once thought. The statistics do vary depending on demographics.
Statistics are current as of 2009 and are courtesy the U.S. Census Bureau. *My age when I got divorced.
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Do these stats reflect your experience?
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It almost makes me feel in good company? is that bad to say?? i think divorce is just a fact of life, in some cases. It’s NOT rare, it DOES happen and almost always for good reason…I think we as society just talk about it far too much in terms of it being ‘bad,’ ya know?
Yep. It makes me feel in good company, too. I guess that’s also why it’s helped me to connect w/ people like you online. For any other readers following these comments, you should check out jobo’s post from today: http://determineduncensored.wordpress.com/2011/11/09/do-we-talk-about-divorce-too-much/
These figures may have been higher than you expected, but they still pale in comparison to the rate at which people divorce in midlife. This is largely due to the fact that more and more people are waiting until they’re older before getting married.
Very true! Good point.