Almost 2 million couples got married in Michigan and around the country in 2021, and nearly 700,000 married couples filed for divorce. About half of the American couples who marry for the first time end up divorcing, and the divorce rate for second and third marriages is even higher. To get a better understanding of why marriages fail so often in the United States, Forbes Adviser surveyed 1,000 Americans who either divorced recently or are going through a divorce.
The most common reasons for divorce
About a third of the divorced or divorcing spouses who took part in the Forbes Advisor survey cited infidelity as their reason for ending their marriages, but the most common reasons given for seeking divorce were career choices and differences of opinion on parenting matters. Other commonly mentioned reasons for divorce included conflict with family or friends, money troubles and health choices.
Marriages could have been saved
Only one in 20 of the people surveyed said that their marriages deteriorated to the point where they could not be saved. Almost two-thirds of the respondents believed that they could have avoided divorce if they or their former spouses had a better understanding of the commitment needed to make a marriage work. More than half of the divorced or divorcing spouses surveyed said that they might still be married if they were more aware former spouse’s values and morals before walking down the aisle.
Communication
The results of the Forbes Advisor survey suggest that most divorces could be avoided if spouses discussed their problems instead of letting them fester. The most common reasons cited for seeking a divorce were ones that open and frank communication would likely resolve. This may be why the vast majority of respondents believed that their marriages could have been saved.