FOR BETTER, FOR WORSE
Fewer marriages are ending in divorce than 30 years ago
MORE marriages are standing the test of time - with divorce rates falling by nearly a third over the last three decades.
The latest government data shows there were 106,959 divorces granted in 2016 compared to 153,903 in 1986.
The number of women initiating divorces has fallen by 40% to 65,290. The number of men doing so has fallen by far less - 4.1% - down to 41,669. Reasons for getting divorced have also shifted significantly. Adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion and long-term separation are all circumstances that justify a divorce. But the number of people citing adultery as the reason has fallen by 74% among couples since 1986, to 48,211 cases. In fact, while adultery was the most common reason that men sought divorce back then, now that has changed to unreasonable behaviour.
Unreasonable behaviour can include violence, verbal abuse and drunkenness or drug-taking.
There were nearly a quarter fewer divorces in 2016 for unreasonable behaviour - at 48,211 - than there were in 1986, when the figure was 63,503.
A two-year separation is presumed the most amicable reason for divorce, where both partners have led separate lives for two years and agree to the divorce.
In 1986, this led to 31,911 divorces, but fell by 8.7% to 29,130 divorces last year.
People can also get divorced after a five-year separation, which doesn’t need either spouse’s agreement.
Divorces for this reason shot up by 69% from 9,484 cases in 1986 to 16,028 in 2016 - making it one of the few categories in which divorces have increased.
Divorces can also be given if one person in the marriage deserts the other, either without their partner’s agreement or without good reason.
Just 637 divorces were granted last year for desertion.
Other reasons for a divorce include a combination of adultery and unreasonable behaviour. The average age for divorces has been rising. Thirty years ago, more than a fifth of all couples were aged between 25 and 29 at the time of their divorce, and only 8.3% were aged between 45 and 49. But in 2016, more people got divorced between 45 and 49 16.5% - and only 5.9% of divorces were for those aged between 25 and 29.