Divorces and Divorce Rates

1 DatafromtheNATIONALVITALSTATISTICSSYSTEM D ivorcesandDivorceRatesUnitedStatesAnalys isofdivorcestatisticsfortheearly1970 s,includingspecificdivorceratesbyvarious characteristics,basedonpopulationdatafro mthe1970census, (PHS) ,EDUCATION,ANDWELFAREP ublicHealthServiceNationalCenterforHealt hStatisticsHyattsville, , ,UnitedStates.(Vitalandhealthstatistics: Series21,DatafromtheNationalVitalStatist icsSystem; )(DHEW publicationno.(PHS)78-1907) :21 UnitedStates :Series21,DatafromtheNationalVitaJStatis ticsSystem,Dataonnatality,marriage,anddi vorce; ,Education, ;no.(PHS) [HQ834]312 .1 097377-14100 ISBN0-8406-0110-7[312 .5 0973] , , , , , , ,JR., , , , , , , , , ,AssociateDirectorforResearchALICEHAYWOO D, , , ,Chief, , , (PHS)78-1907 LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber77-141 00 CONTENTSs~.. ~ ~ :UnitedStates, :1960,1970, : Divorce -registrationarea, :UnitedStates, : Divorce -registrationarea, ,000populationonthepercentageofdivorcing husbandsmarriedmorethanonce:22 States, :UnitedStates, -NumberofStatesbysizeofdivorcerate:Unite dStates, * :UnitedStatesandeachregion, : Divorce -registrationarea,1960,1970, ,bydurationofmarriageattimeofdecree:Unit edStates, ,withpercentchanges:UnitedStates,1960and 1969anddivorce-registrationarea, : Divorce -registrationarea, ,byrace: Divorce -registrationarea, ,accordingtonumberofthismarriageofhusban dandwife: Divorce -registrationarea, ,bynumberofthismarriageofspouse: Divorce - registrationarea, : Divorce -registrationareaand21selectedSt ates, ,accordingtorace: Divorce -registrationare a, ---- -------- ------Categorynotapplicable- ---- - -- ---------- --- - -- --- * , ,Dzi, sandearly1970 ,000populationin1962.

2 Therateper1, ,077, (DRA) ,marriageorder,race, , ,Negro, ,andthatforotherraceswasthelowest; ,however, , , ,buttheageatmarriagewasmoreimportant, , (from413,000to915,000),andthedivorcerate doubled( , ).From1973to1976divorcescontinuedtoincre asebutlessrapidlythaninthelate1960 sandearly1970 ,000population, , ,077,000divorcesweregrantedin1976, ,000population, ,000marriedwomenincreased94percentbetwee n1962and1973( ).From1973to1975,thelatestyearforwhichth isratepresentlycanbecomputed, , , ,5,137,000di-vorcesweregranted,ascompare dwith3,838,000in1951-60and4,141, swereprimarilyduetothehighdivorceratefol lowingWorldWarII;theincreaseduringthe196 0 sand1970 stheratesweresimilartothoseofthe1950 s,andfor9years(1955-63) , , , , :thedifferencebetweenthenationaldivorcet otalfor1975(1,036,000)andthatfor1955(377 ,000)was659,000,andonly97,000ofthisnumbe rcouldbeattributedtochangesinthepopulati on(table2).Thisrepresents( ,85percentofthe1955-75increaseappearstob eduetoothercauses, :forthe1955-63periodthisportionrepresent ed47percent, ;theportionoftheincreasewhichcanbeassume dtobeduetoothercausesgrewaccordinglyfrom 53 Ito88percent(table2).)

3 ,desertion,andtwoyearsofseparation-toits solelegalgroundfordivorce ,thenumberofdivorcesgrantedinNewYorkStat egrewalmosteighttimes,from7,136in1967to5 5, , ,andadoptedtheconceptofmar-riagedissolut ion, irreconcilabledifferences or marriageirre-trievablybroken. Californiaintroducedno-faultdivorcesasof January1970, ,andbyJanuary1974,23 Stateshadno-faultdivorces?ThoughinNewYor k,NewJersey,Hawaii,Delaware,andFloridath echangesinthelaws Reference1, , wasasmallincreaseinthenumberofdivorcesgr fited( ).Thedeclinewasprobablyccmnectedwiththel iberalizationofdivorcelawsinCali-fornia, NewYork,andotherStates,whichmayhavecause dadeclineinmigratorydivorces, ,theNevada,divorcerateper1,000marriedwom en, ,was2?42timesashighasthenexthighestState rate, , ,morethandoubledin14:States,increasedfro mbetween50and99percentin28 StatesandtheDistrictofColumbia,andin- Reference3, , , , , ( ),morethandoubledintheNorthCentral( ),almostdoubledintheSouth( ),andgrewabout90percentintheWest( ).

4 ForindividualStates,thechangerangedfroma nincreaseof675percentinNewYork,300percen tinConnecti-cut,and253percentintheDistri ctofColumbia , ,~mcludingtheDistrictofColumbia, , ,whilethesmaU-, , , , , , ;ratiosbetweenthetwohighratesandthelowra tewere74and13, , ; , ,000population, , , , , , , , ( ,000population) :UnitedStates,1975[TheDistrictofColumbia includedasaState]Increase1960-75 LessDivorcerateper1,000population,1960th anAll;:. :UnitedStates,1960-75[TheDistrictofColum biaincludedasaState] , ( )hadin-creased,thenumberofthosewithmiddl e-sizedrates( ) ,theStatesinthemiddlecategoryin1975werem ostlynotthesameStatesthatwereinthiscateg oryin1960;formerlow-rateStatesmovedintot hemiddle-ratecategory,whilemanyfor-mermi ddle-rateStateshadhighratesinth~1970 (SMSA S):in1970,theircombinedareawas387,616squ aremiles,only11percentoftheentirelandare aoftheUnitedStates;however,theircombined populationwas139,418,811,representing69p ercentofthetotaLIntheUnitedStates,exclud ingNewEngland,anSMSA comprisesacountyoragroupofcounties;hence thenumberofdivorcesgrantedanddivorcerate scanbeeasilycom-putedbothforindividualSM SA Sdonotnecessarilycompriseentirecounties, ,Stateeconomicmetropolitanareasareusedas equivalentsofSMSA ,in1970, S(tableC).

5 ThedivorcerateforalltheSMSA ,000912121031112[51112101383112515151515 1112221314151617131517151511119101086534 111211----11111221215121814113111I516121 81;1412111122211113population(table6), ~h~ ,000marriedwomenw=jrespectively, ,divisicms,andStates,themetropolitanrate washigherthanthenonmetropolitan,rate, ,however,afewimportantexceptions:inbothd ivisionsoftheNortheastRegkmandinnineStat es,mostofthemintheNortheast,thenonrnetro politandivorcerateper1, ,geographicdivisions,andallStates,except Nevada,were higherth~ divisionsaswellasallStates,exceptthree(A labam~Nevada,ahdRhodeIsland).For1970,rat esper1,000population mdper1, , Swereusedforcomputing1970divorcerates,bu tthe1960definitionswereusedfokboth1!] Snotonlyincreasedfrom201in1960to229by197 0, S,Greensboro-HighPointandWinston-Salem, SfollowthepatternsetbyStaterates:lowrate sintheNortheastandpartsoftheNorthCentral , :UnitedStatesandeachregion,1970[Percents basedonreportedtotals]RagionAreaUnitedSt atasNorth-NortheastCentralSouthWast, ,00086,000186,000242,000194,0002504,2396 5,29421~,16fj2150,324159,4552192,57320,3 73248,831289,13334,236 Percentdistribution : EEF=El= , ,respec-tively,per1, ,0:6,wasfoundintheMcAllen-Pharr-Edinburg SMSA thatincludesHldalgoCounty, , (theMcAllen-Pharr-EdinburgSMSA hadnotyetbeenestablished).

6 SofNevada theincreasesweresmall, ,whileothers,suchasrace,marriageorder,or ageatmarriage,remainconstantthroughoutth eIifeoftheindividualorthroughtheduration ofagivenmarriage;stillothers(education,n umberofchildren) ,duration-specificdivorceratescouldbeexp ectedtobehaveinamannersimilartothatofage -specificrates,andestimatednationaldurat ion-specificratessupportthisview.( ,nationalestimatesofdi-vorcesbyduration, basedonDRAdata, )Theduration-specificratesincreasedsligh tlyintheveryearlyyearsofmarriage,reached amaxi-mumbetweenthesecondandthefourthmar -riageanniversary, ,bydurationofmarriageattimeofdecree:Unit edStates,1970[ ,seeappendix] ~.. ,00034,00060,00066,00060,00054,00049,000 40,00035,00029,00026,00098,00064,00050,0 0024,00018, ) :UnitedStates,1970almostdisappearedafter 30yearsofmarriage,whenonly1coupleoutof62 5divorced(tableEandfigure4).Thequestionr emainsopen:Whichofthetwovariables,ageord uration,hasastrongerinfluenceonthelikeli hoodofdivorce;thatis,whatwouldhappentoth edurationrateifagewereheldconstant,andvi ceversa?

7 RaceThelikelihoodofdivorcevariesbetweenr acialgroupsofthesameStateandwithinthesam eracialgroupindifferentStates(table10).R ace-specificrateswerecomputedper1, ;thoseforcombinedracesotherthanwhiteorNe growerethelowest, , ,andintworeportingStatesofthatregion,Geo rgiaandTennessee,ratesforwhitepersonswer ehigher;thiswasthecasealsoformeninAlaska , , :r1,000forwomeninRhodeIsland; other , ; ( ,Idaho; ,Utah; ,Montana) , ,Tennessee,andWisconsin,wherereliablerat esexistforthewhitepopula-tionandforNegro es,theincreaseforthewhitegroupwasmuchlar gerthanfortheNegro, ,wheretherearemanypersonsofotherracesbut fewNegroes,theincreasefor/10thewhitepopu lationwasgreaterthanforthe other ,astheywerecomputedper1,000totalpopulati onaged15yearsandover,ratherthanper1,000m arriedpopulation, marriageorder referstotheclassificationofmarriedperson sintotwocate- ,whencomparedtothosewhohavebeenmarriedon lyonce(figure5).Inthedivorce-registratio nareathedivorceratefortheremarriedmenand womenwasmorethantwicethatforthefirstmarr ied,andthesamewastrueforoverone-halfofth ereportingStates(table12).

8 Nosuchrateshavebeencomputedpreviously,an dthehighlikelihoodofdivorceamongtheremar riedcouldbeonlyoncemmU~OnaHUSBANDx2!2f15 1050I : Divorce -registrati&area, (table13). , ,itmustberecognizedthatcoupleswhoreporte dnochildrenunder18yearsofageareacomposit egroupthatincludesyoungcouplesthathaveha dnotimetostartafamiIy,childlesscouplesof anyageanddurationofmarriage, , , , ,000coupIeswith1child, , ,exceptthatwiththreeormorechildren, , , ,withpercentchanges:UnitedStates,1960and 1969anddivorce-registrationarea,1970[ ,seeappendix] :IIlljjIIIJuII;;;:j:ul:In:;u:Ijl;:;j;;II lnII;j:j:IyIJIuI:;I;;;:;jInl;j;n:l::nlIl uRnlInII;l::jR;ljlIIIjljljR::nIIljjlj4ch ildren5childrenI::IIJIuIII:::j;:;IIIIllJ jlJllJl~jl;:c:;l::jl:l:llI;I:IIl;;IIJ;Ij j;;j;;::j;J:J;lI;c::IIjlHl:lIII;;J:jE;n; ll:jj; } ~.o ,andforthelatter, , ,and,aswouldbeexpected,thisdistributionv ariedmarkedlyaccordingtothemarriageorder (table14).In1970thegreatmajorityofthosew hohadbeenmarriedonlyoncewereunderage35, (table15).

9 Amongmen20-24yearsold, ; , ,respectively(table16). , , (NewYork);forpersonsmarriedmorethanoncet hegreatestdifferencewas5 ,husbandandwifewereofthesameracialgroup- bothwhite,bothNegro,orbothbe-longedtooth erraces(table17); : Divorce -registrationarea,1970[ ] ~.. other category,butthiscouldhavelittleeffectont hepercent-ages,asnumbersofdivorcingperso nsofotherraceswereverysmall,andthree-fou rthsofall other husbandsandwivesdivorcedintwoStates, ,exceptHawaii, ;itwashighinruralStatesoftheNorthandtheW estandcomparativelylowintheSouthandinthe industrializedNorthernStates, ( ),Maryland( ),Virginia( ),NewYork( ),IIIinois( ),Tennessee( ),hlissouri( ),andConnecticut( ).Ontheotherhand,lessthan1percentofdivor cingcoupleswereNegoinHawaii,Idaho,Montan a,Utah, other groupwasverysmall:itcomprisedmorethan1pe rcentofalldivorcingcouplesinonlythreeSta tes:Hawaii( ),Alaska( ),andMontana( ).InsevenreportingStatesnocouplesofother racesweredivorced,or,atleast,nodivorcece rtificateofacoupleinthe other categorywasincludedintheran-domsample;th iswastrueofIllinois,Kentucky,, + , ,Pennsylvania,RhodeIsland,Tennes-see, (excludingraciallymixedcoupIeswithinthe other group);inonlythreeStatesw& , , other categoryhadwhiteorNegrospouses(tableG).

10 WhenthetwooutlyingStates,HawaiiandAlaska ,areexcIuded, :intheentireDIL4only3,772suchdivorceswer ereportedandonly3, ,1,786couples( )werewhite- other, thehusbandbeingwhiteandthewife other, ,155, other coupleswasverysmall;only162 Reference5, , other , , other , , , (table18).IntheDRA,medianandquartileages werelowestforthewhitehusbandsandwives(ta bleH).ThemedknagesforNegrohusbandsandwiv eswerehigherthanforwhitepersons,butlower thanforthe other other ,byrace: Divorce -registrationarea,1970[ ] [ ,agesattimeofdivorcewerecom-putedforraci algroupsin23 StatesintheDRA(table19). ( ,accordingtonumberofthismarriageofhusban dandwife: Divorce -registrationarea,1970-[ ~ ~ ~.. ~37 ~.. ~ , ~ ), (forwomeninMaryland).ThemedianageofNegro eswaslowerthanthatof other (Theoriginalmedianswerecomputedfromsingl e-yeardata,andhencenotquitecomparableto1 970medians.)As1959datashowonlythetwocolo rgroups white and allother, 1970medianswerepreparedforNegroand other personscombined(table20).]]