According to statistics, the divorce rate is going down. But it’s too early to rejoice because this doesn’t really mean that the number of happy families has increased. In fact, this latest “positive” change has little to do with good marriages and more with the younger generations growing disillusioned with these unions.

First of all, there are fewer broken marriages because there are fewer marriages to break down. The millennials, the generation that everyone loves to blame for everything, play an important part in this statistic because they are majorly responsible for the median marriage age changing to 27 and 29, for women and men respectively. Those, who married in the 1960s, did it about 7 years earlier. And it’s highly likely that those who will marry in 10 years will be well in their thirties.

The millennials are the generation that should be marrying the most today, but they are either doing this later or don’t do this at all choosing to cohabit. It must be noted that the marriages that do happen, are less likely to end with a divorce. Most likely this is because modern couples cohabit for years before taking this step and therefore they are more sure of their feelings and decisions.

Another important factor that affects people’s unwillingness to get married, thus reducing the number of divorces, is the divorce procedure itself. It differs greatly from state to state, but in the majority of cases it’s extremely complicated and often expensive.

For example, getting a divorce in Nevada will take three weeks maximum and if you agree to separate amicably and have no issues to settle, you might be done within a week. However, even an online divorce in Texas will take no less than two months because this is the mandatory waiting period. On average, it will take you about half a year to get a divorce in Texas, and that’s if courts don’t get involved. In some states, it will take you even longer and mandatory fees can rack up over $400.

Few couples manage to divorce amicably, so the process will most likely take longer and be much more expensive as you’ll have to hire a lawyer. Depending on the state and some other factors (size of the estate, complexity of the case, etc.) your divorce lawyer’s bill might range from $10,000 to $25,000 and more.

The Internet made sure that everyone today has easy access to information about the legal process of divorce and lawyers’ fees. It’s no surprise that many people choose not to risk it.

It might be surprising to some but for the last couple of decades Baby Boomers were the main contributors to the divorce rate. Sociologists and psychologists believe that the fact that the Baby Boomers married very early is a major reason for that.

As the society’s perception of divorce changed, they simply go on with breaking off their marriages officially. And that’s an important factor to consider. A few decades ago, despite their high number, divorces were perceived as something unseemly. There is still some prejudice against divorced people today, but it’s significantly less of an issue.

Speaking of the changing societal norms, the people of today are less likely to get married early and later get divorced, because they are growing increasingly more independent and self-aware.

It used to be that everyone seemed to do their best to fit the mold of the “perfect life” which went something like getting married right out of school, finding a job, raising your 2.5 kids in a house with a white picket fence.

The people of today are rejecting this syste3m and spend their time actually looking for what it is that will make them happy. Thus, when they find it, they are more likely to hold onto it.