How Long is a Long Marriage?

In late November some statistics about marriage and divorce came out and they are quite interesting. In 2013 the number of marraiges decreased by 3.5%. Most brides (81.3%) and grooms (79.7%) had not been married before. Most grooms were 34.5 years old and most brides 29.5 years old.

What surprised us was that, even though most marriages are now conducted by Civil Celebrants, the proportion keeps going up. In 2013 72.5% of all marriages were carried out by Civil Celebrants.

The divorce rates however went down by 4.6%, and the length of a marriage dropped very slightly; in 2012 the duration of marriage to divorce was 12.2 years and in 2013 12.1 years. Most grooms were divorced at 44.8 years and most brides 42.2 years.

The duration of marriage as reported in the statistics is pretty much in line with our experience as lawyers, and the courts have come to view a long marriage now as round about 12 years, a statistic with which our parents and grandparents would have been utterly unfamiliar and of which they would have been scornful.

Disclaimer: The articles on this page are correct at the time of writing but changes in the law or procedure  may affect the accuracy of the information. Should you require any specific legal advice please contact us.