The vows for marriage typically include staying together “in sickness and in health.” However, according to recent research, if the wife is the one who is ill, the bond might not be as strong. Sickness and disease can be hard on any relationship, and sometimes unfortunate health situations end in divorce. Among the important matters to address in this situation is how retirement assets are divided. 

Serious Illness and Divorce

When one spouse is severely ill, it can cause a strain on the marriage due to many reasons, including financial drain, or the inability of a spouse to act as a caregiver or take on all household duties. Not everyone is emotionally able to endure the extreme difficulties that can accompany serious illnesses like cancer or Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for up to 80 percent of dementia cases.

Divorce changes the lives of everyone involved for quite some time because it is such a serious and emotional decision to make. There have been long-held suspicions that the time of year may influence the divorce rate, because of the different types of outside influences present. A study by the University of Washington was able to identify the peak times of year for divorce with quantifiable data. 

When are Divorce Rates Highest?

The study used a data set including filings for divorce in the state of Washington for a 14-year period from 2001 to 2015. Using those numbers, they plotted a graph which showed two major peaks. One peak was in March and the other was in August. Between March and August is a fairly high plateau and after August there is a steep drop-off. The graph also shows the rates increase steadily from January to March. 

The oft-quoted statistic about 50 percent of marriages ending in divorce is incorrect and has been for some time now. Divorce rates have declined since the 1980s and it is now estimated your chances of divorce are at about 39 percent. Even though this seems like good news, it is not necessarily an indication that the number of people living happily ever after with their spouse has increased. 

Much of the drop in the divorce rate is due to the generation known as millennials, who are less likely to get divorced. A recent study said millennials were 18 percent less likely to divorce than young married couples in 2008. There are numerous potential reasons behind this shift.

Divorce can happen to couples at any age, whether they are young or old, and no matter how long they have been together. There is a growing trend in divorce in which older couples split even when they have been married for a long time. 

If a couple divorces and they are over 50 years old, it is commonly known as a “gray divorce.” Gray divorces bring their own unique challenges, and learning about those potential obstacles before you are in the middle of divorce proceedings will help you in your own case and in life afterward. 

Divorce can happen because of money, extramarital affairs, growing apart, and many other reasons. As the American people’s viewpoint on marriage has evolved over the past few decades, it may seem as if more people are getting divorced than at any time throughout the country’s history. There are a variety of reasons for this idea, including the facts that people are living longer, more people are cohabitating instead of getting married, and expectations of marriage have changed, especially in the last 40 to 50 years. 

What Do the Numbers Say?

The perception that more people are getting divorced now than ever before is not strictly the case if we look at the statistics on divorces per capita: 

• In 1970, the divorce rate was 14.9 divorces and annulments per 1,000 married women. 
• In 2015, the divorce rate was 16.9 divorces and annulments per 1,000 married women.

These two numbers are fairly similar, but in order to fully understand the history of the divorce rate, there is a middle number which needs to be examined.