It’s important for couples to remember that divorce odds are not a guarantee of anything. If your marriage technically has low odds of divorce, you may still split up. If your marriage is facing a lot of risk factors, you may still overcome these hurdles and stay married. Nothing is guaranteed either way.
That being said, it can be helpful for couples to consider the reasons why divorce happens and the types of factors that can influence their own divorce odds. You may see that divorce is coming in the future, allowing you to prepare in advance and be ready for it.
Key issues
Every relationship is unique, but the following are some factors that researchers have found could increase the odds of a divorce:
- Couples who get married at a young age, such as under 22 years old.
- Couples who have a relatively low level of education.
- Couples who already had a child together before they tied the knot.
- Couples who experience a lot of conflicts and have poor conflict management skills.
- Couples who have poor communication skills, leading to misunderstandings and avoidable conflicts.
- Couples who are part of a different race or a different religion.
- Couples that have a relatively low income level, perhaps below the poverty line.
- Couples who have gotten divorced in the past, or who have parents who got divorced.
- Couples with emotional or more stressful personalities.
Once again, none of these guarantee divorce. Just because your parents got divorced doesn’t mean you will. But they do increase the odds that divorce will occur, so be sure you know what steps to take if your marriage ends.
