The Average Cost of Divorce in the US
As we all know, divorce takes you to that stage of life where you logically die, even though you are physically alive. Or in other words, divorce is the death of a marital relationship. The shock of the stench of divorce certainly destroys one so much that it could take years to recover.
Previously, what we discussed was the emotional cost of divorce incurred in the form of death out of love and loss of respect, isolation, stress, restlessness, developmental regression, physical decline, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, cynicism, anger , bitterness. , feelings of inadequacy many more.
“I want to separate from my spouse”, “we are not compatible” or “we do not make a good match” are the frequent phrases we hear today from young married couples. Well, this group of people has a mindset that tells them that by divorcing they are putting an END to marital unhappiness and by divorcing they can free themselves from spousal tyranny, oppression and abuse. But literally speaking, they are simply replacing one set of problems with another, especially in cases where minors are involved. You will find them coming out of divorce completely different and your life will turn upside down.
Returning to the previous topic, a question arises in our mind that why divorce, breakup, separation and unpleasant marital life are becoming so common in today’s world? Divorces existed in the past, but comparatively on a very small scale. This is so obvious that children who see their parents divorce are growing up as a broken generation that has various sets of problems that become part of their lives. They get even more stained when their parents remarry. And very clearly when abused children grow up in an atmosphere where such treatments have become “no problem” now or are more likely to say “fad”, they will follow suit and act accordingly when they marry and so the cycle continues. . This is a staggering cost our entire nation is bearing.
We saw that the emotional cost of divorce is not in itself less than any great loss, but its financial costs are also horrible, with devastating consequences.
There is a growing fear from the government about the rising costs of divorce. In the UK, studies have shown that the government provided legal aid for just £ 178 million in the previous year, of which only £ 9.2 billion was spent to help people cope with the aftermath of freedom. There were other costs that were spent on childcare and the estimate was £ 1.3 billion.
Whereas in the United States, the average cost of divorce varies with an estimate of $ 10,000 to 20,000. A recent study has provided an assessment that marriages that end in divorce are very costly to the public; Additionally, a single divorce was estimated to cost federal governments about $ 30,000, based on factors such as increased use of food stamps and public housing, as well as the rise in bankruptcies and juvenile delinquency. The nation’s 10.4 million divorces are estimated to have cost taxpayers more than $ 30 billion. Discreetly breaking down, the cost that the taxpayer is paying to the government includes the cost of child support enforcement of $ 37.7 million, the cost of domestic violence programs of $ 9.7 million, and the cost of child abuse and neglect of $ 113.4 million. , not including any welfare benefits for dependent mothers. If divorce rates are lowered in any measurable way, taxpayers will save substantial dollars.
A sociology professor Steven Nock and U. Iowa professor of law and economics Margaret Brinig were the first to study this topic. They found that since the costs of divorce are too much for an ordinary person, court proceedings can take a year or more. They also calculated that $ 175 billion is spent annually on divorces, primarily litigation.
Divorce has become a very large and successful business in the United States. According to information provided by a website geared towards divorce and remarriage, divorce is a $ 31 billion-a-year industry with an average cost of around $ 20,000.
Among many, one of the main reasons it is being recognized is the connection between the emotional pain of divorce and its impact on finances. Divorce can certainly lead to mental depression and emotional instability. The rate of depression has been studied to be nearly three times higher among divorced men and women than among married couples who have never been divorced. When a spouse or both file for divorce, it is not uncommon to see job performance and productivity drop dramatically between stress, lawyer meetings, and the time it takes to build a new life. It would not be unwise to say that “if you hire a divorce attorney today, it is very likely that you will hire a bankruptcy attorney in two to three years.”
The cost of divorce, whether emotional or financial, can be substantially reduced and kept in check if one spouse (filing for divorce) or both of them acknowledge the entire divorce process, do not rush, and have control over their anger because in most cases Divorce cases costs increase due to the spouse’s destructive attitudes towards the other, which makes the process longer in terms of frequent counseling sessions, consultations and other court proceedings.
The costs of divorce can be further reduced financially by; reviewing your will carefully, taking into account existing insurance coverage, canceling all joint bank accounts (credit cards), and reviewing retirement assets.
Not far from this miserable world of divorce, there are couples who are handling it and, like them, very few are the winners. They are basically the ones we should be looking at. The cost in emotional pain and suffering, as well as dollars and cents, can be extreme. The process can also take years. Still, by cooperating, understanding each other, and learning the rules, you can both come out in reasonably good shape.