If you live and work on a farm, you know that it can be a stressful field. Agriculture varies with the weather and the economic stress that could be caused in a bad year is a high risk. One question some people who work in agriculture end up asking is if they can really live in a happy marriage so long as their lives are filled with so much risk taking.
Prior to the Farm Crisis of the 1980s, statistics showed that those married and engaging in farming were less likely to get divorced. However, after the crisis, divorce among farming families rose to a similar level of nonfarming families. At that time, around 40 percent of all marriages ended in divorce.
Today, there is another farming recession, and that does threaten the health and happiness of a family unit. Despite that, couples working in agriculture are actually less likely to divorce. Iowa, a state of many farming couples, had the lowest divorce rate in the nation at 1.5 divorces per 1,000 married couples. The average rate across the nation is 3.3 couples per 1,000 married couples.
Although the media does portray divorce as a growing concern, there is evidence that divorces are actually reducing. Why? Couples now cohabitate more than they did in the past, which helps couples learn more about each other before they tie the knot. Around two-thirds of people who get married today now live together for around 31 months beforehand.
Regardless of the statistics, people do get divorced. If you’re looking into one, it’s a good idea to start planning before you discuss it with your spouse. Your attorney can help you understand the documents you may need to begin the process.
Source: Farm & Ranch Guide, “Do agriculture and happy marriages go together?,” Michael Rosmann, accessed Sep. 01, 2017
