Puja Sachdev | April 1, 2024 | Divorce
According to CNN, the divorce rate dropped to 2.4 per 1,000 people in 2022, representing an ongoing trend. At the same time, people were also found to be getting married at slightly lower rates than they did 20 years ago, signifying that couples are being more intentional with their decisions to marry.
Nevertheless, thousands of couples still get divorced every single year. And most of the affected individuals eventually (or sometimes rather quickly) get remarried in the hopes of finding happiness with their true lifelong partner.
If you’ve been divorced and are considering getting remarried, it’s important to know the challenges and trends that may manifest in your new relationship. Here’s a glimpse into the latest remarriage statistics.
Remarriage Trends By the Numbers
According to recent research, roughly 50% of divorced people remarry within five years. Men get remarried at a rate of 64%, whereas only about 52% of divorced women wed again.
You’ve likely heard it in some form or fashion that half of marriages end in divorce, and that certainly sounds pretty bleak. Sadly, though, that statistic is on the better end of things. And even then, it only applies to first marriages. As it turns out, individuals in their second or third marital relationship face much worse odds, with two-thirds of these unions ending in divorce.
Challenges Facing Remarried Couples
Why do so many re-marriages fail? The one-word answer is baggage. Newlyweds don’t necessarily enter their marriage with a blank slate, but they bring a lot less into the union than those who have been married before.
Child custody represents a major point of conflict, especially if only one spouse has a child from their previous relationship. Split custody means child support, hectic schedules, and the influence of a second household on the new couple’s family dynamic. Unsurprisingly, challenges also emerge between stepchild and step-parent.
Exes may also be a source of friction, especially if the dissolution of the first marriage wasn’t something that both parties wanted. They may strive to drive a wedge between their former spouse and that person’s new partner.
But even with the above being said, ex-spouses and children from failed relationships aren’t always the source of the problems. Sometimes, people simply get remarried way too quickly.
In some instances, diving into a new relationship soon after another may pan out just fine. But the problem that often arises is people using their new relationship to minimize the damage or emotional strain of the previous one. People need to give themself time to heal and sort through the aftermath of a failed relationship.
Setting the Stage For a Successful Reset
Before you get remarried, you need to take the time to settle things like child support and custody issues and separate things like your finances and home. By minimizing the baggage that you bring into a new union, you can give yourself the best odds for a healthy and lasting marriage.
If you have already remarried and the union is past the point of saving, it’s important to protect yourself, your assets, and your relationships with any shared children. Explore mediation whenever possible as well. Coming up with an amicable and agreed-upon resolution will yield the best results for everyone.
In instances where mediation can’t yield an agreeable outcome, seek legal representation and trust the advice of your attorney. They can help you navigate the challenging process with a logical and legally binding approach.
Contact Our Divorce Law Firm in San Diego, CA
Contact our experienced San Diego divorce lawyers at San Diego Divorce Lawyers, APC today for legal assistance. Contact our San Diego office at (619) 866-3756 to schedule a free consultation.
San Diego Divorce Lawyers, APC
2851 Camino del Rio S #430
San Diego, CA 92108
