While no one sees the frequency of divorce returning to the small numbers of a generation ago, researchers see divorce rates in the nation and Utah stabilizing.
An analysis of Utah's divorce rate since the mid-1970s shows it has remained relatively constant following a dramatic surge during the late 1960s and early '70s.In 1992, the latest year for which complete data are available, there were 5.2 divorces for every 1,000 people living in the state. Compare that to 1950 when the rate was at 3 divorces per 1,000 residents or even 1960 when the number dipped to 2.4.
The 1992 Utah number is slightly above the national rate of 4.8 divorces per 1,000. The state's rate has fluctuated between 4.7 and 5.4 during the past two decades, according to the Utah Health Department's Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics.
Marty Hood, a marriage therapist with Davis County Mental Health, puts the numbers into perspective.
"One of every two couples marrying this year will be divorced in
10 years," she says, quoting a national study. The U.S. Census Bureau doesn't see much changing in that statistic.
In 1992, there were 19,983 marriages and 9,406 divorces in Utah. While the divorce rate has stabilized, Utah's growing population means there are more total divorces. For example, there were 7,957 divorces in Utah in 1980.
According to health department statistics, Tooele, Weber, Salt Lake and Sevier counties had the highest divorce rates in 1992. By far the most divorces occurred along the urban Wasatch Front, with some 4,400 divorces in Salt Lake County, 1,200 in Utah County, 980 in Davis County and 977 in Weber County. Divorce was relatively unheard of in rural places such as Piute, Daggett, Rich and Beaver counties.
Judge Jon Memmott, who hears divorce cases in his 2nd District courtroom in Farmington, says that during his first two years on the bench he has been surprised at the number of divorces. He sees less commitment on the part of troubled couples to work through problems.
"It's easier to get a divorce, and it's more accepted by our society," Hood says. "Seventy percent of children born in 1980 will spend time in a single-parent family."
At the same time, Memmott questions whether Utah's divorce rate can be accurately compared with other states'. More people get married in Utah rather than living together. That fact may inflate the divorce rate.
Utahns appear more committed to staying together than most Westerners. Among the Mountain states, Utah has the lowest divorce rate - Nevada has the highest in the West and in the nation. Regionally, the South has much higher divorce rates than most of the nation. The New England and mid-Atlantic states have the lowest divorce rates in the nation. Nationally, Massachusetts has the lowest divorce rate.
Although the ages of marriage partners are rising slightly, Utahns get married younger than most Americans. That may have some impact on divorces, says John Brockert, director of the Bureau of Vital Records. Nationally, the median age at marriage for men is 25.5 years. In Utah, it is 23 years. For women nationally, the median age is 23.7 years. In Utah it is 21 years.
Despite the constancy, Utah's divorce rate belies other problems, says Brockert. As Utah's population booms, the number of children who wind up with one parent after a breakup is growing.
"Kids aren't doing well," says Hood, who is researching a book on staying together at least until the children are grown. "They feel abandoned. Kids say, `If you would have loved us enough, you would have tried.' "
Hood says that many divorced parents have unrealistic expectations about their life after divorce. They feel a breakup will ease stress. Many couples are willing to accept that there are up and down times in relationships and work through the down times.
"They have unrealistic expectations that things are going to be great all of the time. If it is not great, they bail out, they give up too soon," she says.
The children, particularly small ones, are the real losers when that happens. They often become pawns between angered and vengeful parents. Smaller children are affected often because the median length of a marriage that ends in divorce is about seven years.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Divorce rate: Utah Counties - 1992
Rate per 1,000 people
STATE 5.2
NATIONAL 4.8
Tooele 6.2
Weber 5.9
Salt Lake 5.8
Sevier 5.7
Emery 5.3
Grand 5.3
Summit 5.2
Carbon 5.0
Davis 4.9
Iron 4.7
Washington 4.7
Box Elder 4.5
Kane 4.3
Utah 4.3
Cache 4.2
Morgan 4.1
Uintah 4.1
Wasatch 4.1
Duchesne 4.0
Sanpete 3.7
Wayne 3.3
Millard 3.1
Garfield 2.4
Juab 2.1
San Juan 1.8
Beaver 1.4
Daggett *
Piute *
Rich *
*Fewer than 7 divorces total; no rate given
SOURCE: Utah Bureau of Vital Records