All Charts
Demographics

US Divorce Rate

Divorces per 1,000 population

Divorces per 1,000
Key events
Common Claim

“Divorce rates surged after 1971 as economic stress destroyed families.”

What the Data Shows

Divorce rates rose from the mid-1960s, peaked in 1981, and have declined steadily since. The surge was driven by no-fault divorce laws (starting 1969), women's economic independence, and changing social norms — not monetary policy.

Perspectives

skeptic

No-fault divorce laws are the obvious explanation

The implication that couples divorced because of 'bitter arguments on the convertibility of the dollar to gold' is absurd. No-fault divorce laws removed legal barriers. Women's economic independence made leaving bad marriages possible. The rate has declined since 1981 despite remaining on fiat money.

neutral

Legal reform and social change, not monetary policy

The divorce rate was already surging by 1969, peaked in 1981, and has declined steadily since. This is a story about women's liberation, legal reform, and cultural change. Economic stress may have contributed marginally, but the documented causes are non-monetary.

believer

Economic stress from monetary debasement strained families

While no-fault divorce laws were the proximate cause, the question is why they were adopted and why so many couples used them. Economic stress from 1970s stagflation — itself caused by monetary policy changes — may have increased marital strain and made divorce more common.

← Swipe between perspectives →

Causal Factors

No-fault divorce laws

40%

Before 1969, courts could deny divorce without proof of fault (adultery, abuse). No-fault laws made divorce accessible. The surge tracks perfectly with state-by-state adoption.

Wolfers (2006), American Economic Review

Women's economic independence

25%

Women's workforce participation rose from 38% (1960) to 58% (1990). Financial independence made leaving unhappy marriages possible.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Changing social norms

20%

The stigma of divorce decreased dramatically during the 1960s-70s counterculture and women's liberation movements.

Pew Research Center

Contraception access

10%

The Pill (1960) and Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) gave women reproductive autonomy, fundamentally changing relationship dynamics.

Goldin & Katz (2002)

Later marriage age

5%

The decline since 1981 partly reflects people marrying later and more selectively, leading to more stable marriages.

Census Bureau

Data Source

CDC National Center for Health Statistics

View original data

Last updated: 2023-12

Key Events

1969

No-fault divorce begins

California passes first no-fault divorce law under Governor Reagan

1971

Nixon Shock

Gold standard ends — but divorce was already surging

1975

Most states adopt no-fault

Majority of states have enacted no-fault divorce legislation

1981

Peak divorce rate

Rate peaks at 5.3 per 1,000 as no-fault becomes universal

2020

COVID dip

Courts closed and cohabitation delayed divorce filings

All Sources for This Chart

Primary Source
CDC National Center for Health Statistics
www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/marriage-divorce.htm
Factor Source
Wolfers (2006), American Economic Review
www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.96.5.1802
Factor Source
Bureau of Labor Statistics
www.bls.gov/opub/reports/womens-databook/2021/
Factor Source
Pew Research Center
www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2010/11/18/the-decline-of-marriage-and-rise-of-new-families/
Factor Source
Goldin & Katz (2002)
scholar.harvard.edu/goldin/publications/power-pill-oral-contraceptives-and-womens-career-and-marriage-decisions
Factor Source
Census Bureau
www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/families/marital.html

Want to learn more?

FRED Economic Data →Bureau of Labor Statistics →Economic Policy Institute →US Census Bureau →Congressional Budget Office →World Inequality Database →