Top 10 Divorce Details of 2012

The year that was 2012 ended with many journalists compiling top 10 lists of events from the past 12 months. Not to be outdone, online news site The Huffington Post published a story New Year’s Eve listing what it named as “The Most Fascinating Divorce Findings of 2012,” a compilation of divorce researchers’ results. Gathered from around the world, the “findings” began spirited comments form their readers. Let’s look back some highlights of what they found.

Couples Splitting Chores More Likely to Split

Dateline: Norway. According to a study released in August 2012, the divorce rate among couples that divide up housework “50/50” are “50 percent” more likely to divorce than in households where the wife does the majority of the work. The researchers posit that the numbers are skewed by “modern attitudes” about gender roles and the sanctity of marriage. I don’t know about my counterparts in Oslo or Bergen, but in our North Texas home life is better when we share the load. We believe women and men are equal.

Women Are Genetically Disposed to Divorce

According to researchers in Sweden (notice a trend here?), in a report released in February, women who possessed a variation of the oxytocin receptor gene known as A-allele were “less likely to get married” due to difficulty bonding with other people. Those with the gene who did marry were 50 percent more likely to report “marital crisis or threat of divorce.” I’m glad I don’t live in Stockholm.

Getting On with Your In-Laws Keeps You Married

In November, a 26-year longitudinal study (a research study that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time) released by the University of Michigan found that when a husband reported having a close relationship with his wife’s parents, the chance of the couple ending in divorce decreased by 20 percent. Shockingly, the Michigan study showed, when a wife reported having a close relationship with her husband’s parents, they were 20 percent more likely to split!

Men Booze More After a Split

A University of Cincinnati study released in August reported that divorced men are more likely to turn to drinking than divorced women. Just look at Detective Jimmy McNulty on the HBO series The Wire for an example.

Wedding Cold Feet Mean Trouble Ahead

A University of California at Los Angeles study published in the Journal of Family Psychology in September asked more than 200 newlywed couples in their first marriages whether they had jitters or second thoughts on the way to the altar. The research team checked in with the couples twice a year for the first four years of their marriages. The study concluded that runaway bride fantasies manifested in actual divorces four years down the line 19 percent of the time. Doubting husbands were 14 percent more likely to divorce in the same time period, the UCLA study showed.

Workaholic Women Are on the Verge of Divorce

In November, the European Economic Review released a study that showed women who work a little as 12 extra minutes a week are 1 percent more likely to get a divorce. The study surmised that women pour themselves more into their job – and to greater extents – when they see the marriage’s end on the horizon.

It’s Cheaper to Keep Her (Or Him)

An Ohio State University study released in August reported more couples are choosing to enter long-term separations because they find divorces too expensive. Fifteen percent of 7,272 people surveyed remained separated but did not get a divorce within 10 years because of the overall cost, especially if they had children.

It’s commonly known that 50 percent of marriages in America dissolve into divorce. Should you find yourself in that situation, seek a good divorce lawyer. The resources on this website can be a great help to you.