On behalf of John Dorris of Dorris Law Group posted in Divorce on Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
Arizona couples who have a baby before they get married may be happy to learn their chances of staying together after marriage are the same as couples who have their first child after saying their wedding vows. In the past, couples who had their first child out of wedlock were more likely to get divorced than couples who waited to have their first child after they were married.
In a recently released study, the Council on Contemporary Families said new research supports this changing trend. The study centered on women who had their first child between 1985 and 1995 as well as those who had them between 1997 and 2010. Couples in the first time period were 60 percent more likely to get a divorce if they married after the baby’s birth than couples who waited until they were married to have their first child. In the latter group, however, unwed parents who later got married were no more at risk for divorce than couples who wed first and then had a baby.
The way society views having children out of wedlock has changed in the last 25 years, according to a sociology professor who was not affiliated with the study. Couples no longer feel rushed to get married if the woman becomes pregnant prior to marriage.
Married couples with children, regardless of whether they were born in or out of wedlock are still at risk of seeing their relationship come to an end. Issues that they will be presented with can include child custody and child support, visitation, property division and alimony. A parent whose marriage is ending may find it advisable to obtain the assistance of a family law attorney in negotiating a comprehensive settlement that addresses these matters.
