Australia’s divorce rates plummet to lowest level in 40 years
Australia’s divorce rate has hit its lowest level in 40 years, as it is revealed that more couples are living together first and marrying later than ever before.
In 1996, the divorce rate was at 2.9 per 1,000 people, dropping to 1.9 in 2016 despite population increases, the total of 52,466 divorces in 1996 falling to 46,604, dailymail.co.uk reported.
In 1975, the rate was at 1.8 per 1,000 people, which comes close to the 1.9 rate today, according to the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
“It’s a significant drop,” social researcher Mark Mccrindle told The Daily Telegraph.
“That truism that half of all marriages led to divorce is not the case. If you compare the numbers of marriages to divorces it’s closer to one in three.”
Data also showed that in 2016, 80 percent of couples lived together before getting married, compared to just 16 percent in 1975.
The marriage rate has also continued to increase despite the introduction of no-fault divorce laws after 1975.
Back when the old divorce laws existed, it was more difficult to justify a martial separation to the court, given that couples had to ‘prove’ adultery or some form of marital misconduct.
Despite the fact that divorce laws have relaxed since the 70s, Mccrindle said marriage is still on the rise today — and is still ‘in vogue’ and a ‘key part’ of society.
“In the last couple of years we have seen the marriage rate rise from 4.8 per thousand in 2015 to 4.9,” Mr Mccrindle added.
According to Mccrindle, there are an average of 326 marriages across Australia every day, with October and November being the most popular months.