Marriage is one of the oldest and most standard institutions in all of human society, as it is the foundation of a family and, in older times, royal family politics. Today in the United States, there are many studies and surveys done to keep track of marriage and its legal end, divorce. Experts are tracking at what age Americans get married, how much money is spent on weddings, how long people tend to stay together and why, and more. Divorce is also studied carefully, such as which issues most commonly cause a divorce or how the legal aspects of divorce are covered. When a marriage ends, divorce lawyers and mediators are often called in, and when marriage involved under-18 children, custody evaluation is another factor to consider. How often are Americans seeking divorce? How can a divorce lawyer be used, or a custody lawyer? Both sides might bitterly contest assets and children from a marriage, which can lead to custody evaluation, family law, and more.
Why Divorce Happens and to Whom
A discussion of child custody evaluation or filing divorce papers begins with taking note of why Americans get divorced, and the demographics of those people. This is a fairly common undertaking. As most people are aware, nearly half of American marriages end with divorce, and about 827,000 of them take place in the United States annually. Studies have shown that infidelity ranks as the most common reason why Americans today start filing divorce forms, and infidelity happens to both men and women alike. There are other common reasons for divorce as well, such as drug or alcohol abuse by one of the spouses, violence or the threat thereof, or even sexual abuse. Other, arguably less dramatic causes for divorce may be a simple lack of personal compatibility, or major differences in lifestyle or spending habits.
It has also been noted that a subsequent marriage is statistically more likely to fail than an earlier one in a person’s life. A person’s first marriage faces 41% odds of divorce, while a second marriage has a 63% chance of ending with divorce and a third marriage faces even higher odds: 73%. Men and women, on average, are in their late 20s to early 30s when they file for divorce, with the average age for women being 29 and the age for men being 30.5. What is more, general trends have shown that spouses with a college education are less likely to experience divorce, and if the two spouses dated each other for three or more years, divorce is less likely. A longer dating period gives two people enough chances to test personal compatibility in many arenas, from spending habits to future plans to personality and any illicit habits. Conversely, people who had a short dating period are more likely to face a divorce.
Getting a Divorce
There are some general trends for how a divorce may pan out. One spouse will file for divorce against the other, and this spouse will probably hire a divorce lawyer to protect their interests. The other spouse may in turn hire their own divorce lawyer, and a mediator may also be involved to help foster productive communication. And the more assets and under018 children are involved, the longer and tougher the divorce case may be, such as child custody evaluation. Custody of children is a major item of interest to divorcing spouses, and child custody evaluation may help determine where the child should go.
In some divorces, one spouse is abusing drugs or alcohol or is violent or otherwise abusive to their family members. In cases such as these, the other spouse may relocate to a different, private address during the divorce for their own protection, and that of under-18 children as well. While nothing is being guaranteed here, it may be much more likely that the non-abusive spouse will end up with custody of the children. Assets such as money, an RV or boat, or even cars or a vacation house will be negotiated in divorce proceedings, and each side’s lawyer will use divorce law to advocate their respective clients’ cases. This process may be made smoother when a mediator is brought on board, and this can make a resolution easier and faster to reach.