By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist

Researchers say the first decline in divorce rates seen in years may be the result of the recession.

The Christian Post is reporting that in the 2009 State of Our Unions report by the University of Virginia’s National Marriage Project, the divorce rate actually fell in 2008 from 17.5 divorces per 1,000 married women to 16.9 in 2008.

“[M]any couples appear to be developing a new appreciation for the economic and social support that marriage can provide in tough times,” W. Bradford Wilcox, director of the Project. “Thus, one piece of good news emerging from the last two years is that marital stability is up.”

Researchers say credit card debt, which is known to cause stress in marriages, declined by $90 billion this past year, possibly contributing to the smaller divorce rate. It is a well-known fact that credit card debt has a corrosive effect on marriages – particularly on newlyweds – and causes great strain in the home.

The economic downturn has also revived what researchers are calling the “home economy,” with couples eating in more often, growing their own food, and mending their own clothes.

This new focus on thrift has proven to “pay valuable dividends in the quality and stability of married life in the U.S.,” Wilcox says.

“In these ways, by fostering a spirit of economic cooperation, family solidarity, and thrift that redounds to the benefit of marriage, the Great Recession appears to offer a silver lining for marriage,” he wrote.

Even though divorce rates have dropped, Wilcox warns that the long-term consequences of the slower economy could be “profoundly negative” for marriage. He predicts that high rates of unemployment are likely to harm the quality and stability of married life over the long term.

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