People often make the mistake of looking at divorce odds as if they are exactly the same for everyone. For instance, if the divorce rate is really around 50 percent, and you have two couples in a room together, you know that one of those couples will split up.
This makes it feel random, as if you’re just hoping your marriage works in the face of long odds. That’s not an accurate representation. The reality is that many different factors play into it, making the odds different for everyone.
One of those factors is education. Per a study done at the National Center for Health Statistics, women who have gotten a college degree get divorced far less than those who have not. With a degree, 78 percent of women in the study were still married two decades later. With merely a high school degree or even less education, however, only 40 percent of women stayed married for 20 years or more.
So, while you can say what you will about the overall divorce rate, it’s very clear that it does not apply to everyone equally. Most women with a college education will stay married. Most women without one will get divorced. And this is just one factor of many — such as economic status or age at the time of marriage — that can have an impact.
Regardless of your personal situation, if you do decide to get divorced, take the time to look into all of your legal options. It’s important to move through this process is a careful and informed manner.