Study: 40 Percent Of All Marriages Are Remarriages

A study by the Center for Contemporary Families found that four out of every ten marriages in 2013 involved at least one divorced spouse. The study also found that marriages in which both spouses had a previous divorce accounted for 20 percent of all marriages. The research also showed that nearly half of all adults who live together outside of marriage had also experienced a divorce. The study examined the impact of divorce, remarriage and children on the stability of the family unit.

Divorce, Remarriage and Gender

The study found that men and women have different outlooks on divorce and remarriage. A 2015 research paper quoted in the study found that men remarry at nearly twice the rate as women. The paper showed that 40 out of every 1,000 divorced men remarry, compared to 21 out of 1,000 divorced women. The research does not speculate on whether the higher remarriage rate for men is due to income discrepancies between the genders, social attitudes toward marriage, or other factors.

Divorce Impact: Remarriage Rates Falling

Researchers also found that the rate at which people remarry after divorce has fallen over the last quarter-century. In 1990, 50 out of every 1,000 divorced people eventually remarried. In 2013, that rate fell to 28 out of every 1,000. Another researcher showed that, in 1995, 54 percent of women under 45 years of age remarried within five years of their divorces. In 2005, that rate fell to 38 percent. Divorced spouses are also taking more time between marriages. In 2002, half of all divorced spouses remarried after three years. In 2011, that same proportion waited an extra year to remarry.

Divorce and Remarriage Stability

The data also shows that a remarriage after a divorce tends to be less stable than a first marriage. The study found that nearly 20 percent of all first marriages for women under age 45 ends in divorce within five years. Remarriages for women in the same age group have a divorce rate of more than 30 percent. Overall, the average length of first marriages for couples who divorced in 2012 was 13 years. The lifespan of remarriages for couples who divorced in 2012 was just under ten years.

Are Remarried Couples More Likely to Divorce?

The extent to which remarried couples are prone to endure a second divorce depends on several factors. The study found that couples who remarry without a strong emotional commitment to the second marriage are more likely to divorce. These marriages also typically have shorter lifespans than the first marriage. Income and education also play a role in the success of a second marriage, as couples with higher incomes and better education are more likely to commit to their remarriage.

Source: Center for Contemporary Families

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