A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce - Razorplanet

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18 Table 1 Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project: Parents’ Attitudes toward Their Divorce Parents’ Attitude toward Their Divorce i’m done with this marriage; it’s too late now even if my spouse were to make major changes. i have mixed feelings about the divorce; sometimes i think it’s a good idea and sometimes i’m not sure. i would consider reconciling if my spouse got serious about making major changes. i don’t want this divorce, and i would work hard to get us back together. parents after mandated parenting classes parents mailed surveys within one month of filing for divorce parents at first consultation with a lawyer (N=445) (N=220) (N=78) n % n % n % 286 67.30% 137 62.30% 42 53.80% 79 18.60% 31 14.10% 11 14.10% 37 8.70% 24 10.90% 12 15.40% 23 5.40% 28 12.70% 13 16.70% Source: William J. Doherty, Brian J. Willoughby, and Bruce Peterson, “Marital Reconciliation Interests of Divorcing Parents: Research and Implications for Practice,” Family Law Forum 19, no. 3 (Spring/Summer 2011): 48–52.
a data set that has followed a group of continuously married individuals for twenty years (the Marital Stability over the Life Course Study), the researchers found that about one-third of married people who had ever reported low marital happiness later on experienced a turnaround. In other words, about one-third of unhappy marriages recovered. 22 It is interesting that this figure is similar to the 30 percent of divorcing parents who expressed an interest in reconciliation that the Minnesota Couples on the Brink Project revealed. Overall, an intriguing and growing body of research is suggesting that most couples who divorce have problems that are not much different from those who stay married, that unhappy marriages can experience turnarounds, and that even well into the process a significant minority of those divorcing are interested in exploring the option of reconciliation. Together, the research suggests that it is not only possible but wise for the state to help distressed couples when possible to avoid divorce. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? The research findings presented in this report clearly suggest that today’s very high U.S. divorce rate is not only costly to taxpayers, it is not only harmful to children, it is also, to a degree that we are only now understanding, preventable. 19
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A Proposal to Reduce Unnecessary Divorce - Razorplanet

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