More Divorces Are Actually Good News

The divorce rate is climbing across the country. Bad news, right? Well, it might actually be a good thing. In 2009, the divorce rate hit a historic 40-year low. This, of course, coincided with the depths of the recession that is still impacting the American economy. Conservatives may have thought that the American family was on its way to being restored, but it actually may have been something negative that was keeping couples together — their financial troubles.

When more couples start to call it quits, though, it’s a pretty reliable indicator that the economy is getting better. This might seem a little counterintuitive — wouldn't you think that the financial stress of a recession would cause strife that would drive couples apart rather than keep them together? Well, in tough financial times, people may have been forced to stick it out in bad marriages because they simply couldn’t afford to hack it on their own. Now that the unemployment rate is bouncing back, these unhappy couples can now part ways and move on with their lives.

At Bloomberg, another economist also points out that the post-divorce fall-out is big business for industries that directly impact the economy. When one family becomes two, new homes need to be built and bought, apartments need to be rented, and a lot of consumer goods need to be purchased. Divorce may not be good for the “traditional American family,” but it can potentially have positive implications in our capitalist economy.

If this increase in divorce means that people are achieving the financial independence to free themselves from unhappy marriages, then I'm all for it. Who wants to deny a bunch of people that survived the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression a little happiness?

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