Fort Lauderdale Divorce Lawyer Blog
It is very common for Fort Lauderdale divorce lawyers to be told about the numerous sexual partners a spouse has had when they ask questions about adultery and its impact on the divorce, equitable distribution and alimony. Florida is a no-fault divorce state but adultery is a factor that the trial Judge can consider in awarding alimony or as justification for an unequal distribution of assets. However, it is not too often that the Court is concerned with the amount of sexual partners a wife has had and whether that has caused the divorce.
New research from the Institute of Family Studies has revealed that divorce rates have decreased for women who marry as virgins but have stayed the same for those who had one to two premarital sex partners. Women who have had 10 or more sexual partners prior to their marriage saw the highest increase in divorce rates. Interestingly, women who have premarital sex partners have consistently higher rates of divorce than those with three to nine partners.
Sexual behaviors have changed in recent years since younger people are having sexual encounters outside of their relationship. Sexual attitudes and behaviors continue to change. However, the extent of younger people hooking up has been embellished by the media.
Young women who have gotten married in recent years have more sexual experience in comparison to those from prior decades. In the 1970’s women were more likely to marry as virgins compared to the 2010s. There is also a decline in the amount of women who get married having only had one prior sexual partner. Premarital sex has become more acceptable in society and fewer men enter marriage with the expectation of a virgin bride.
Researchers used data to examine the percentage of marriages that ended in divorce within 5 years after the marriage. The data was analyzed by looking at the decade in which the wedding took place and compared to how many partners a female had prior to her marriage. In some cases, women with a smaller number of sex partners were less likely to get divorced. In other cases, women who were virgins at the time in which they married had the lowest divorce rates.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the data shows the highest divorce rates for women who had two sexual partners. In the 1980s, the divorce rate for these women was 28%. The highest divorce rates, 33%, were seen in the 2000s with women who had ten or more sexual partners.
The study did not include data on same-sex marriage. If so, it may have produced different research results. However, the study did show that women who were religious did have fewer sexual partners.
Regardless of how may sexual partners you have had, it is important to hire an experienced divorce attorney in Miami if your case involves a parenting plan, equitable distribution of high net worth assets, alimony or other important marital and family law issues. Sandy T. Fox, Esquire is a Florida Bar Board Certified Marital and Family Law Attorney who has experience handling complex cases. Contact our law office online or by calling (800) 596-0579.