Dr. Janet Belsky, Professor of Psychology and an expert on life span development suggests that the 50/50 divorce ratio in the U.S. is leaning more in favor of marital success than it did before. She attributes this to an aging population, since people tend to divorce when they are younger.

I'm not so sure about this: We hear of many divorces taking place after 25 years, when children have left home. Research cited in the New York Times, however, shows about 60% of all divorces occur during the first decade of marriage.

There also seems to be a correlation between divorce and education. Data shows that the divorce rate for college graduates during the first 10 years of marriage dropped to 16% for those married between 1990 and 1994.

When Dr. Belsky polled her students at Middle Tennessee State University, she found that 50% had divorced parents and grew up in single-parent homes. Students, well aware of the divorce statistics, express an unwillingness to marry at a young age, preferring to put off marriage until they're well-established in their career. Marriage comes last as an "adult transition," sometimes after the decision to have children.

Divorce rates may be affected as people postpone marriage; it's true that waiting to marry may result in lower chances of getting married. If fewer people marry, it's likely to affect divorce rates.

I'm not so sure, though, about the aging population explanation. I just don't believe that getting married in later life necessarily results in fewer divorces.

Whatever the reason, if the divorce rate is really leveling off, it's a good thing. What do you think?