👰🤵 Why fewer Australians are getting divorced | ABC Radio National

Key Concepts:

• Divorce rates declining to a 50-year low in Australia.
• Later marriages and increased cohabitation before marriage.
• Financial constraints and cost of living impacting the ability to leave marriages, particularly for women.
• The persistence of financial barriers despite reduced social stigma around divorce.
• Family violence victims remaining in abusive situations due to lack of affordable housing.

Decline in Divorce Rates: A Complex Picture

The video highlights that divorce rates in Australia have reached a near 50-year low. However, it cautions against interpreting this solely as a positive trend. While fewer couples are officially divorcing, the reasons behind this decline are multifaceted and not always indicative of happier marriages.

Shifting Marriage Trends

Australians are marrying later in life, and a significant portion cohabitates before marriage. This shift in relationship dynamics likely contributes to the lower divorce rate, as couples may be more certain about their compatibility before committing to marriage.

Financial Barriers and the Cost of Living Crisis

The video emphasizes the significant role of financial constraints in preventing individuals, particularly women, from leaving unhappy or abusive marriages. Historically, women faced both social stigma and financial dependence, making divorce difficult. While the social stigma has decreased, the financial aspect remains a major obstacle.

The current cost of living crisis exacerbates this issue. Even in 2025, women with intervention orders for family violence are requesting them to be overturned so they can return to their abusers because they cannot afford housing. This illustrates a stark reality where economic survival outweighs personal safety and well-being.

Family Violence and Economic Dependence

The video specifically addresses the plight of family violence victims. The lack of affordable housing forces some women to remain in dangerous situations, highlighting a critical failure in the system to provide adequate support and resources for those seeking to escape abuse.

Notable Quotes:

• "There was a lot of Shame still with divorce and also women found it difficult to leave a marriage because they were generally the Homemaker and didn't have Financial capacity or agency to leave."
• "It seems our cost of living is an especially bad thing for victims of Family Violence so in 2025 I still have women who are not able to leave I'm often getting them intervention orders for Family Violence and they're asking the mag to overturned that so they can move back in with their perpetrator because they can't afford housing."
• "For some Australians sticking together might mean they simply don't have the choice."

Synthesis/Conclusion:

The declining divorce rate in Australia is a complex phenomenon influenced by changing marriage patterns and, critically, economic factors. While reduced social stigma around divorce is a positive development, the persistent and worsening cost of living crisis traps vulnerable individuals, particularly women and victims of family violence, in undesirable or even dangerous relationships. The video suggests that lower divorce rates do not necessarily equate to happier relationships and that systemic issues, particularly financial inequality and lack of affordable housing, need to be addressed to ensure individuals have the agency to leave unhappy or abusive situations.