Marriage, Family, & Stepfamily Facts
Updated May 2008

Special thanks goes to David H. Olson and Amy Olson-Sigg for compiling many of these statistics.
Visit www.prepare-enrich.com.

MARRIAGE

• 85% of the U.S. population will marry at least once.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Approximately one-third of all weddings in America today form stepfamilies.  (see ENDNOTE 1, Deal, 2005)
• Of the 2.3 million marriages in 2006, about half (53%) took place in a religious setting.  (PREPARE/ENRICH E-Newsletter, 2007)
• While the average cost of a wedding is $27,500, less than a third of first marriage couple seek premarital preparation and less than 25% of pre-stepfamily couples do (see the section on Preparation for Marriage).
• Age at first marriage has been on the increase for more than four decades.  In 1960, the median age for a first marriage was 22.8 years for men and 20.3 for women.  In 2005 the median age for first marriage was 27 years for men and 26 years for women.  (Popenoe & Whitehead, 2005) 

• Over the past forty years, marriage has become less common and more fragile.  Between 1970 and 2005, the proportion of children living with two married parents dropped from 85% to 68% (US Census Bureau, 2005).  Also, the percentage of two-parent families varies by ethnic/cultural group: 87% of Asian children live in two-parent homes; 76% of Caucasians; 70% of Hispanics; and 42% of African American. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Almost 20 million Americans—about 9.9%  of the U.S. population—are currently divorced ( U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006); 25% of all Americans have been divorced at some point (Barna, 2008. Used with permission.).
• People marrying today have a 50% chance of divorcing.  Statistically, 40% of first marriages, 60% of second, and 73% of third marriages end in divorce.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006) 
• About 75% of those who divorce will eventually remarry.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Closeness with either a biological or step-father is associated with a decrease in the likelihood that an adolescent boy will expect someday to divorce.  (Risch, Jodi & Eccles, 2004)
• Religious attendance is positively correlated with higher G.P.A.’s for teens. (Fagen, 2006)
• Couples who agree on spiritual beliefs report significantly higher marital satisfaction and couple closeness than couples who are low on spiritual agreement.  (Larson & Olson, 2004). 
• For adults, a stable, happy marriage is the best protector against illness and premature death, and for children, such a marriage is the best source of emotional stability and good physical health.  Decades of research have clearly established these links (Burman & Margolin, 1992; Dawson, 1991; Verbrugge, 1979).
• Divorce is a major health risk for American adults and children.  In addition to well-established links between divorce and mental health problems, adults who experience divorce more than double their risk of earlier mortality.  On the average, adults who divorce and children who experience a parental divorce have their life expectancy shortened by an average of four years, according to a fifty-year longitudinal study (Dawson, 1991; Cherlin et al., 1991; Doherty & Needle, 1991; Tucker et al., 1996; Schwartz et al., 1995).
• Marriage education is effective in promoting marital quality and stability.  Well-researched marriage education programs have demonstrated that brief, skills-based educational programs for couples increase couple satisfaction, improve communication skills, reduce negative conflict behaviors including violence, and may prevent separation and divorce (Markman et al., 1993; Wampler, 1990).
• Single-parent families rose to an all-time high in 2005 to 37% of families.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)  

PREPARATION FOR MARRIAGE

• Premarital preparation can reduce divorce rate by 30%. (Stanley, Amato, Johnson & Markman,2006)
• A recent meta-analysis of 11 experimental studies found significant differences favoring couples who received premarital education.  The overall effect size was very large (.80), representing a 79% improvement in all marital outcomes compared to couples who did not receive premarital education.  (Carroll & Doherty, 2003) 
• Couples who participate in a premarital program (PREPARE) significantly increased their couple satisfaction.  In a recent outcome study, couples improved in 10 out of 13 relationship categories.  (Knutson & Olson, 2003)  NOTE: The PREPARE profile can now we taken online as the Couple Checkup. 
• Most couples in stepfamilies don’t seek premarital preparation.  Less than 25% of couples in a series of studies sought relationship or educational opportunities to discuss their upcoming marriage.  Less than half read a book or magazine article about remarriage or stepparenting.  (Ganong & Colman, 2004).
• People remarry quickly.  On average people remarry within four years of their divorce and 30% remarry within a year.  In addition, since two-thirds of couples cohabit before remarriage, the time between divorce, cohabitation, and remarriage is indeed short.  (Ganong & Colman, 2004).

BENEFITS OF MARRIAGE

• Children from homes where the biological parents are married tend to be more academically successful, more emotionally stable, and more often assume leadership roles.  (Waite & Gallagher, 2000; Manning & Lamb, 2003)   
• Adolescents living with their biological parents are less likely to have sexual intercourse.  (Pearson, Frisco, 2006; Sieving, Eisenberg, Pettingell, & Skay, 2006) 
• Two-parent households protect children from the negative effects of poverty.  In the U.S., nearly 60% of the children from single-parent households live in poverty, as compared to only 11% of children from two-parent families. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Adolescents living with both biological parents exhibit lower levels of problem behavior than peers from any other family type.  (Carlson, 2006) 

• Males whose parents never married are significantly less likely to marry and more likely to cheat on their romantic partners.  (Colman & Widon, 2004)

FAMILY STRUCTURE IS BECOMING MORE COMPLEX

• Single-parent families rose to an all-time high in 2005 to 37% of families.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)  
• More than a third of all US children are now born outside of wedlock, including 25% of non-Hispanic white babies, 46% of Hispanic babies, and 69% of African-American babies.  (US Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey)
• The percentage of two-parent families varies by ethnic/cultural group:  87% of Asian children live in two-parent homes; 76% of Caucasians; 70% of Hispanics; and 42% of African American. (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Family fragmentation (divorce and nonmarital births) costs U.S. taxpayers at least $112 billion each year, or over $1 trillion dollars per decade.  This estimate includes the costs of federal, state, and local government programs and foregone tax revenues at all levels of government.  (Full report available here: The Taxpayer Costs of Divorce and Unwed Childbearing)

COHABITATION

• More than half of all couples cohabit before marriage.  The number of cohabiting couples has increased 800% since the 1960’s, when fewer than 500,000 couples were cohabiting.  In 2005, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 5.5 million couples were cohabiting.

• Cohabiting before marriage is related to more frequent arguments during marriage as well as a greater perceived risk of separation and divorce when compared to couples who did not live together prior to marriage.  (Hill & Evans, 2006)
• Couples who cohabit before remarriage report lower levels of happiness in their marriage than remarried couples who did not cohabit. (Xu, Hudspeth & Bartkowsk, 2006)
• 40% of all children will live in a cohabiting home at some point.  (Parke, 2007)

DIVORCE

• People marrying today have a 50% chance of divorcing.  Statistically, 40% of first marriages, 60% of second, and 73% of third marriages end in divorce.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006) 
• About 75% of those who divorce will eventually remarry.  (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006)
• Of the marriages that survive divorce, the quality of some of those may be poor.  (Popenoe & Whitehead, 1999b)
• The “seven year itch” is often scratched.  Couples separate on average seven years after marriage and divorce after eight.  (PREPARE/ENRICH E-Newsletter, 2007)
• After 10 years of marriage, it is predicted that only 25% of couples will still be happily married (Glenn,1996)
• Most divorces involve children, and more than 1 million children are affected by divorce each year (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006).  40% of children will witness their parents divorce before reaching adulthood (Amato, 2000).
• Of all Americans who have ever been married one-third have divorced at least once.  (Barna, 2008. Used with permission.)
• 26% of evangelicals have been divorced and 33% of non-evangelical Christians have been divorced (over 80% were Christians before the divorce); further, when evangelicals and non-evangelicals are groups together, the number divorced is statistically identical to that of non-born again adults (32% versus 33% respectively).  George Barna commented on the study: "There no longer seems to be much of a stigma attached to divorce; it is now seen as an unavoidable rite of passage."  "Interviews with young adults suggest that they want their initial marriage to last, but are not particularly optimistic about that possibility. There is also evidence that many young people are moving toward embracing the idea of serial marriage, in which a person gets married two or three times, seeking a different partner for each phase of their adult life."  (Barna, 2008. Used with permission.)

STRONG MARRIAGES AND FAMILIES

• A large national sample (n=50,000) of married couples who completed a couple inventory (ENRICH) found the top five categories most predictive of marital happiness were:  Communication, Flexibility, Couple Closeness, Personality Compatibility and Conflict Skills.  (see The Couple Checkup: Finding Your Strengths, by David H. Olson, Amy Olson-Sigg, and Peter J. Larson, Thomas Nelson, release date June, 2008.)  A similar study of over 50,000 couples creating stepfamilies (marriage with children from previous relationships) found the top five categories most predictive of marital happiness were: Personality Compatibility, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Shared Leisure, and Couple Flexibility.  (see The Remarriage Couple Checkup: Finding Your Strengths, by Ron L. Deal and David H. Olson, Thomas Nelson, release date January, 2009).
• Closeness with either a biological or step-father is associated with a decrease in the likelihood that an adolescent boy will expect someday to divorce.  (Risch, Jodi & Eccles, 2004)
• Religious attendance is positively correlated with higher G.P.A.’s for teens. (Fagen, 2006)
• Couples who agree on spiritual beliefs report significantly higher marital satisfaction and couple closeness than couples who are low on spiritual agreement.  (Larson & Olson, 2004). 

REMARRIAGE & STEPFAMILIES     (see also Truths to Consider for detailed stepfamily statistics)

• 46 of every 100 marriages today is a remarriage for one or both partners.  Of the remarriages, 24 are a remarriage for both persons.  About 65% of remarriages involve children from the prior marriage and, thus, form stepfamilies.  (US. Bureau of Statistics, 1995).  For a commentary on the prevalence of stepfamilies in America, see ENDNOTE 1.
• Approximately one-third of all weddings in America today form stepfamilies.  (see ENDNOTE 1, Deal, 2005)
• More than a quarter of the people who remarry are over 50 years of age.
• The divorce rate for remarried and stepfamily couples varies but is at least 60%.  Second marriages (with or without children) have a 60% rate of divorce and 73% of third marriages end in divorce (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2006); at least two-thirds of stepfamily couples divorce (Hetherington, For Better for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered, 2002).  See also the article: The Stepfamily Divorce Rate May Be Higher Than We Thought. 
• In 1996, close to 10% of children lived in stepfamily homes (7% married homes; 3% cohabiting).  (Parke, 2007)
• An estimated one-third of children will live in a stepparent home before the age of 18 (Parke, 2007) and 50% will have a stepparent at some point in their lifetime.  (Stewart, 2007)
• An estimated 40% of women will live in a married or cohabiting stepfamily home at some point.  (Stewart, 2007)
• One of three Americans currently has a steprelationship of some kind and it is estimated that 50% will during their lifetime.  (Larson, 1992).
• Not all stepfamilies begin with divorce.  For those that do, it’s very important that you break the cycle of divorce and not divorce again.  Consider these truths:
  • Children whose biological parents have divorced are roughly twice as likely to have their marriage end in divorce compared to their peers from intact families.
  • When a host of variables are taken in to consideration (including genetics, socioeconomic, & psychological factors) as to why children of divorce later themselves divorce, the actual divorce of their parents still accounts for 66% of the increased risk (Brian D’Onofrio, Indiana University Bloomington).
  • When a parent(s) later marry (forming a stepfamily) and divorce again, the negative effects of parents’ marital transitions are cumulative. The well-being of children goes down as the number of marital transitions goes up (see Kurdek & Fine, 1993, Journal of Family Issues).
  • Commentary (Ron L. Deal): What results is a generational weakening of marriage and an increase is the likelihood of divorce. The good news is that breaking the cycle of divorce increases a child’s likelihood of a stable marriage when they marry. 
• Marriage in a stepfamily can be stressful!
  • In our national survey of couples creating stepfamilies we found that the top three anticipated stumbling blocks for couples related to children and stepfamily stress.  78% of couples expected difficulties dealing with stepfamily issues, 75% expected children to put a strain on their marriage, and 72% believed creating a stepfamily would stress their marriage (Deal & Olson, The Remarriage Couple Checkup, Thomas Nelson, release date Jan 2009).
  • They were right!  On average, couples in stepfamilies have three times the amount of stress of couples in first marriages during the first few years (see Hetherington, For Better for Worse: Divorce Reconsidered, 2002, p. 165). 
  • Is there any good news?  Yes. With time stress levels for couples in stepfamilies can fall to normal levels found in first marriages.
• Many stepfamilies are not formed from divorce.
  • While 90% of stepfamilies are formed after one or both partners have experienced a divorce, a significant number of stepfamilies are preceded by an out-of-wedlock birth and a subsequent marriage (note: not a “remarriage”). 
  • One-third of children entering stepfamilies did so after birth to an unmarried mother rather than after parental divorce (Bumpass, Raley, & Sweet, 1995).  Keep in mind that this data is from the early 1980’s.
  • In 2005, one-third of babies in America were born to an unwed mother; 70% of African-American children are born out of wedlock (Wu & Wolfe, 2001).
  • In an effort to minimize their past, stepfamilies created from nonmarital childbearing may be tempted to not identify themselves as a stepfamily, instead presenting themselves as a “regular family.”  Sometimes children are not even told that their stepparent is not their biological parent.  Successful Stepfamilies does not recommend this form of family denial.  Rather, be honest with who you are and use your past as a teaching tool for your children.
• African-American stepfamilies may adjust to stepfamily living more easily than White or Hispanic families.  In general, family boundaries in African-American families are less rigid and more fluid than those of Whites.  Throughout US history, black families have included fictive kin, i.e., people with no biological or legal tie to the family who are nevertheless considered family members.  Given this cultural history, welcoming and bonding with new stepfamily members may be less intrusive and easier than in White families (Stewart, 2007).