Colorado once ranked among the Top 10 states with the highest divorce rates, partly due to cities like Denver, Aspen, and Lakewood. However, it has since lost its place at the top. While divorce is still present, Colorado couples are making an effort to stay together.
Talking Things Through
Divorce mediation can be a long process. Sometimes it is unavoidable, but it shouldn’t be the first option. Surprisingly, younger couples are the ones talking things through and opting to weather things out. Once you get divorced, you experience a certain disillusion over marriage. Divorce rates are higher on second marriages (60 percent chance) and even higher on third ones (73 percent chance). Divorce can be messy, and both sides don’t come out unscathed. Married couples are now reserving divorce for harsher transgressions like infidelity or violence and opting to navigate through minor problems together. Children of happily married couples are also 14 percent less likely to opt for divorce once they’re married.
Marrying Late
Marrying age is another factor that keeps couples together. While couples used to marry in their early twenties, the average millennial won’t be marrying until they have their careers in order. Marrying age for men has gone up to 30, and marrying age for women to 27. Financial and job security are some of the reasons millennials are putting marriage on hold, and the maturity they gain over those crucial extra years gives them a better perspective on life and relationships. Since divorce rates drop as people get older, marrying late offers advantages. However, marrying late comes with one clear disadvantage: child-rearing. Human biology makes it more difficult for women to conceive naturally later in life, and this has sent birthrates plummeting down. The US birthrate has gone so far down replacement levels. Social Security might not have enough workers to meet the needs of retirees in the future.
Fewer Kids
Very few people can attest to being the middle child as families are limiting children to two or less. Having fewer kids is more economically viable, especially with the rising cost of a college education. Raising one or two kids is less stressful and allows both parents to continue their careers if they choose to do so. More radical couples are even forgoing having children, attributing their decision to the dangers of climate change. Kids are certainly a factor in keeping marriages together, and the actual number of kids may play a crucial factor. Close to 50 percent of divorced or custodial single mothers who forgo marriage usually have three or more kids. While having fewer kids puts less strain on the family, it can lead to economic collapse in a few generations. With life expectancy getting higher, there might be a growing number of seniors with very few children to fill in their shoes.
There are many reasons why divorce rates in Colorado are dropping. Some are good, and some can have severe ramifications for American society and the economy as we know it.
