New Study Shows Steady Decline in Military Divorce Rate
According to the Department of Defense, new statistics show that the military divorce rate continues to slowly decline, just as it has for the last five years. The military divorce rate for 2015 measured three percent, down 0.10 percent from 2014. One researcher attributes the continued decline in the military divorce rate to military families experiencing less stress in recent years, perhaps in light of a decrease in deployments. Some of the decline, particularly among female military members, also may be attributable to efforts by the military to improve policies that directly impact women, such as ending sexual assault and helping women focus on their families.
Measuring the Military Divorce Rate
The Department of Defense measures the military divorce rate based on personnel data used to distribute benefits to military members. In contrast, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measures the civilian divorce rate on a per-1,000 person basis. However, the CDC statistics include data from only 45 states and the District of Columbia, as several states do not track or report divorce rates to the CDC. Due to the different methodologies for measuring these divorce rates, it is difficult to accurately compare the rate of military divorces with the rate of civilian divorces, which currently stands at about 3.2 percent as of 2014, the year for which data is most recently available.
Military Divorce Statistics
The military divorce rate reached a historical high of 3.7 percent in 2011, which dropped steadily over the years to three percent even in 2015. However, last year’s military divorce rates still are higher than the 2.6 percent rate that existed in 2001, before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the 2015 military divorce rate dropped among all male service members, whether they were officers or enlisted, and among most female troops, with the exception of female Marines, which saw a very slight increase in divorce rates. The largest decrease in military divorce rates occurred among enlisted female sailors; in 2014, 7.5 percent of enlisted female sailors divorced, whereas in 2015, only 6.5 percent of this group divorced.
Contact Your Experienced Fort Lauderdale Divorce Lawyer Today
Military divorces often involve a variety of issues that are unique to the military population. Whether you are married to a member of the military or in the military yourself, divorce can become quite complicated. If you are facing divorce or separation from your spouse, you should always seek out the legal advice that only a skilled and experienced Florida divorce lawyer can offer you. By getting appropriate legal counsel early on in the process, or even before a separation occurs, you will be better prepared for the stressful and emotional events ahead of you. You also will be able to develop a strategy that is best-suited to achieve the goals in your case that you desire. Contact Vanessa L. Prieto Law Offices, LLC, and set up an appointment in order to discuss your case with a qualified Florida divorce attorney.
