Marriage rates rose and divorce rates fell, new data show

(CNN) — After the Covid-19 lockdown, 2022 was the year of marriage, according to new data.

Statistics show that the number of marriages decreased at the beginning of the epidemic. Over the past two decades, the number of marriages per 1,000 people per year has been between 7 and 8, according to newly released data from the National Center for Health Statistics of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.USA.

But in 2020, the marriage rate fell to 5.1 per 1,000 people, the data showed. The rate began to rise the following year, and by 2022, the number of marriages rose to 6.2 per capita and more than 2 million a year, the report said.

Marissa Nelson, a licensed marriage and family therapist in Washington, DC, said the increase in marriage rates may be more than just remarriage.

Living together in lockdown presented a unique hurdle for many couples to overcome, making them deliberate about how they approached important matters such as money, commitment and autonomy. Many people came away from that experience with a better idea of ​​what they wanted in a partner, Nelson said.

Divorce rate is decreasing

Intentionality may also be behind the drop in divorce rates, he added.

In 2022, the divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 people. Although it’s not the lowest level ever (in 2021, it was 2.3), the downward trend continues, according to the data.

By comparison, the divorce rate in 2000 was 4 per 1,000, meaning that the current rate represents a large drop from two decades ago.

Many couples were forced to deal with relationship issues due to being stuck at home together during the lockdown, Nelson said. It could have caused more conflict or helped them lay a better foundation for a stable future, he added.

Changes in the past two decades may also help. Therapy has become more common, roles in marriage have become more flexible and people are more accustomed to talking openly about how they want their marriage to work, Nelson said.

We are changing the way we choose our partners

Another big recent change is the way people get married, said Ian Kerner, a licensed marriage and family therapist and CNN contributor.

“In my practice over the last decade, I have seen a gradual shift from ‘romantic marriage’ to ‘championship marriage’, which means that people are increasingly choosing partners who are more like best friends than partners. A passionate corner said via email.

Doing so may cause attraction problems, but it also means that such people choose partners based on qualities that promote long-term stability and satisfaction, he said in a previous CNN article.

“At the very least, the concept of commitment implies the experience of belonging to another. At best, it means being tied to someone who is a constant, secure support who will be there for you in any adverse situation,” says Dr. Monica O’Neill, a Boston psychologist, said in a recent CNN report.