Number of divorces rise for the first time since 2003

The Office for National Statistics have released their latest statistics relating to divorce in England and Wales. The statistics record divorces which took place in 2010 following court orders, in England and Wales, and do not include divorces to couples usually living in England and Wales, but who have divorced abroad.

The number of divorces in England and Wales rose by 4.9 per cent in 2010 to 119,589 compared with 113,949 in 2009. This is the first annual increase since 2003. The number of divorces in 2010 was highest among men and women aged 40 to 44.

The average length of marriage is unchanged from 2009 at 11.4 years. Half of couples divorcing in 2010 had at least one child aged under 16 living in the family.

Civil Partnership dissolutions have also increased in 2010. This is likely to be part of an overall upward trend given that this type of partnership is new, and the numbers of those in civil partnerships is increasing.

The rise in the overall divorce rate in 2010 is likely to be attributable to a number of factors. Overall, the size of the married population is falling, with an ever increasing number of couples choosing to cohabit rather than marry. Some believe that 40% of all children living in England and Wales do not live with parents who are married. The fall in the marriage rate isn’t the only factor though, and there is an overall underlying trend of an increase in divorces in 2010. This may in part also be associated with the current economic climate although the impact of the recession is likely to vary across different social groups. To some, dissolving a marriage in a harsh economic climate is financially impossible, involving lawyers, negative equity in housing, and lower incomes from which to support two households. To others social research has shown that unemployment and downturns in the housing market may be associated with family instability and couples being unable to cope with added financial worry.

The most common reason for divorce remains for both men and women, behaviour that the other finds unreasonable. 66% of divorces granted in 2010 were initiated by women.