Generational differences are nothing new. Residents in New Jersey for years have segmented people’s behavior and beliefs in part based on their age. Now it appears that yet another area of life is the subject of differences between major generations. This area is marriage and divorce.
As explained by USA Today, 45 seems to be an age at which the rate of divorce begins to change. For people who are at least 45 years old, the number of divorces has been and continues to increase. This includes the baby boom generation, many of whom have passed the age of retirement. On the flip side, however, for people who are younger than 45, the number of divorces per marriage is dropping.
This information is part of the results from a study conducted at the University of Maryland. The details will be presented at the 2019 Population Association of America. While many might initially want to celebrate a decline in the divorce rate in America, closer attention to the data is important. The shifts seen may actually represent a division of class to some degree in our society.
Not only is the rate of divorce dropping among the older millennials but so too is the rate of marriage. And, to make things more clear, the rate of marriage among millennials is particularly dropping for those people who have not completed college. Among college graduates in the millennial generation, marriage is still happening but at an older age when spouses are more likely to have established careers and be more financially stable.
