While the circumstances of each divorce vary from couple to couple, there has been a recent influx in “Gray Divorce,” or divorce involving couples over the age of fifty. This growing phenomenon poses its own set of complications. Most of these issues involve alimony and retirement, things which younger married couples sometimes haven’t even begun to consider. Because of shifting views of marriage, divorces are becoming more common for soon to be retirees and empty nesters, who are no longer finding personal satisfaction and fulfillment through marriage. Read more here.
Extreme Divorce Avoidance: Man Jumps from Window to Avoid Divorce
Divorce is a difficult decision, one that is not came upon lightly, and it is hard on everyone involved. This proved especially true for one couple in Jerusalem. In early March, a man actually jumped out of a courthouse bathroom window to avoid divorce proceedings.
This sounds extreme and it is safe to say that it is not a typical scenario. Read more here.
Prenup: No Longer Binding?
After spending nearly half a million dollars and three years fighting a bizarre prenuptial agreement, a Long Island woman has won an “unprecedented” case against her estranged millionaire husband, Peter Petrakis. Elizabeth Cioffi-Petrakis had to prove in court that she was coerced into signing the prenuptial agreement that her husband threw at her only four days before their wedding in 1998. This left her with little to no time to dispute the contract, and being a “naive young girl,” at the time, she believed he was only trying to “protect his business” as encouraged to do so by his lawyers. Read more here.
Skype Aids in Proxy Marriages
Proxy marriages are on the rise. Web chat programs such as Skype allow for these marriages to occur more easily and for the bride and groom to exchanges vows from around the world. In the United States, this practice is used, but infrequently, and most often by members of the military in order to ensure their loved ones receive military benefits in the event of their death. However, these proxy marriages are becoming far more prominent in immigrant communities where people want to marry individuals from their homeland, but matchmaking trips abroad are costly. The convenience that programs like Skype provide have raised concerns regarding marriage fraud and individuals seeking green cards and citizenship. Read more here.
Social Media, Marriage and Divorce in China, 140 Characters at a Time
Marriage and divorce are huge decisions and both are not made hastily. At Fields and Dennis, we deal with the repercussions of divorce on a daily basis, finding resolutions to some of the most difficult situations. Divorce is not something easily decided upon by our clients, but sometimes it is the only solution. In our ever-changing society, we must adapt to newly emerging concerns and issues that arise in our technology-driven world.
Relationships are complex, unique, and ever changing. An article from the largest Psychology website in China [www lansin. com] recently explored the benefits of social media on marriage and how social media may also negatively enforce existing problems within failing relationships headed for divorce. Read more here.
Marriage: What's it Good For?
In an earlier post, I noted a recent poll that reflects changing American attitudes toward marriage and, in particular, reflects a marked increase in cohabitation. The other day I happened upon a Time magazine piece, “Marriage: What’s it Good For?”, which further detailed the poll. And since the ability to synthesize those results with a thoughtful analysis eludes me right now, I’ll just lay out the other findings that interested me (in no particular order):
As I noted in the previous post, cohabitation is sharply on the rise. I hadn’t realized, however, that from 2009 to 2010, pollsters found a 13 % increase in couples living together outside of marriage.
Because cohabitation is increasingly viewed as a viable option, I suppose that it shouldn’t surprise us that Americans keep waiting longer and longer to get married. The median age for men and women getting married for the first time is 28 and 26 respectively. These numbers, the poll tells us, have increased about a year for each decade since the 1960’s.
Just to situate the American trend toward cohabitation in a larger perspective, it is worth noting that, according to the poll, Americans have a rate of marriage (and remarriage) that is among the highest in the Western world.
Correspondingly, although the American divorce rate has declined substantially since 1978, it is still among the highest in the Western world.
The poll underscored the socioeconomic predictors of both marriage and divorce in some interesting ways.
It noted a strong correlation between a person’s wealth and education and the likelihood of marriage. Put simply, in the United States, the richer and more educated you are, the more likely you are to marry.
Interestingly, the poll evidenced the same correlation to the likelihood of divorce. The richer and more educated you are, the more likely you are to divorce. This is presumably why Massachusetts, a state with an educated and affluent population, consistently has the lowest divorce rate in the United States.
Most Americans, according to the poll, believe that the “best kind of marriage” is one in which both spouses work outside the home. Not surprisingly, this belief reflects the reality that, in an increasing number of marriages, both spouses do work outside the home. Of course, this figure has increased steadily over the last several decades.
Finally, the poll confirms what most divorce researchers have known for some time. Women initiate American divorce proceedings about 66% of the time. This rate, I believe, has been constant for several decades.
The most unusual finding:
The proportion of American marriages in which the woman was taller than the man increased by 10%.
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2031962,00.html
Marriage: What’s it Good For?
Marriage: What’s it Good For?
In an earlier post, I noted a recent poll that reflects changing American attitudes toward marriage and, in particular, reflects a marked increase in cohabitation. The other day I happened upon a Time magazine piece, “Marriage: What’s it Good For?”, which further detailed the poll. And since the ability to synthesize those results with a thoughtful analysis eludes me right now, I’ll just lay out the other findings that interested me (in no particular order):
As I noted in the previous post, cohabitation is sharply on the rise. I hadn’t realized, however, that from 2009 to 2010, pollsters found a 13 % increase in couples living together outside of marriage.
Because cohabitation is increasingly viewed as a viable option, I suppose that it shouldn’t surprise us that Americans keep waiting longer and longer to get married. The median age for men and women getting married for the first time is 28 and 26 respectively. These numbers, the poll tells us, have increased about a year for each decade since the 1960’s.
Just to situate the American trend toward cohabitation in a larger perspective, it is worth noting that, according to the poll, Americans have a rate of marriage (and remarriage) that is among the highest in the Western world.
Correspondingly, although the American divorce rate has declined substantially since 1978, it is still among the highest in the Western world.
The poll underscored the socioeconomic predictors of both marriage and divorce in some interesting ways.
It noted a strong correlation between a person’s wealth and education and the likelihood of marriage. Put simply, in the United States, the richer and more educated you are, the more likely you are to marry.
Interestingly, the poll evidenced the same correlation to the likelihood of divorce. The richer and more educated you are, the more likely you are to divorce. This is presumably why Massachusetts, a state with an educated and affluent population, consistently has the lowest divorce rate in the United States.
Most Americans, according to the poll, believe that the “best kind of marriage” is one in which both spouses work outside the home. Not surprisingly, this belief reflects the reality that, in an increasing number of marriages, both spouses do work outside the home. Of course, this figure has increased steadily over the last several decades.
Finally, the poll confirms what most divorce researchers have known for some time. Women initiate American divorce proceedings about 66% of the time. This rate, I believe, has been constant for several decades.
The most unusual finding:
The proportion of American marriages in which the woman was taller than the man increased by 10%.
Will Will and Kate Sign a Prenup?
Prince William of Wales and Kate Middleton are engaged to be married. Will they sign a prenuptial agreement?
Is Marriage Becoming "Obsolete"?
According to a 2010 Pew Research Center survey examining American attitudes toward relationships, 39% believe marriage is becoming obsolete. This is up from 28% in 1978.
The institution, while on the decline, is hardly on the verge of extinction. Today, in 2010, 54% of American adults are married, which is down from 57% in 2000, and 72% in 1960.
Cohabitation, on the other hand, is on the upswing — having nearly doubled since 1990. And that is a notable development.
Unmarried couples do not have the legal protections that married couples do in the event that the relationship unravels. Therefore, we recommend that unmarried partners consider entering into cohabitation agreements so that there are protections if the relationship fails. Please contact the lawyers at Fields and Dennis, LLP with any questions at 781.489.6776.
According to a 2010 Pew Research Center survey examining American attitudes toward relationships, 39% believe marriage is becoming obsolete. This is up from 28% in 1978.
The institution, while on the decline, is hardly on the verge of extinction. Today, in 2010, 54% of American adults are married, which is down from 57% in 2000, and 72% in 1960.
Cohabitation, on the other hand, is on the upswing — having nearly doubled since 1990. And that is a notable development.
Unmarried couples do not have the legal protections that married couples do in the event that the relationship unravels. Therefore, we recommend that unmarried partners consider entering into cohabitation agreements so that there are protections if the relationship fails. Please contact the lawyers at Fields and Dennis, LLP with any questions at 781.489.6776.