When your first marriage ended in divorce, you blamed yourself. Not that you did anything to cause the divorce, necessarily, but you realize that you made a mistake getting married in the first place. Maybe the two of you were just young and you didn’t know each other that well, or maybe you tried to overlook some clear red flags and just hoped for the best.
Regardless, now that you’re married for a second time, you assume that you can learn from these mistakes. You won’t make them twice. This means that your second marriage is more likely to last than your first, right?
What the statistics say
You certainly could be right in your specific situation. It’s problematic to apply statistics to everyone’s unique relationships. Maybe you have learned a lot from your first marriage and maybe you are ready to have a stronger second marriage. There are certainly those who get married for the second time and have it last for longer.
But the statistics do show that first marriages lead to divorce at a rate of around 50%, while second marriages lead to divorce at a rate of around 65%. This means that second marriages are statistically just more likely to end in divorce than first marriages.
What if you do get a divorce?
These stats are important because a second divorce can be more complicated. You likely have more assets, since you’re at a later stage in your life, and you have to figure out how to divide them. You may now have children with your second spouse, as well as a blended family that includes children from both of the first two marriages. There are just a lot of different factors that have to be considered as you try to sort out the details.
For that reason, it’s important that you understand all the legal options at your disposal. In order to make this go smoothly and put yourself in the best position for a successful future, if you do end up getting divorced again, take the time to consider these options carefully.
