# data[].attributes.body
This is pure speculation, but I assume that divorce is prevalent because marriage has become less valued (possibly due to the rise of the social acceptance of promiscuity, or the fact that people tend to view love as more of a feeling than a commitment), and that so many marriages fail these days because of a sort of domino effect (that is, people from broken families are more likely to get divorced themselves). I think that a few qualities of a healthy relationship are friendship, commitment, and honesty. I do hope to get married someday because that would mean I had found a kind of mutual understanding with someone about life and stuff.

# data[].attributes.body
Marriages fail today because of the societal acceptance of divorce. In past times divorce had a stigma around it that exile was inevitable and being shunned was a bi product of divorce. Additionally, matrimony was considered a sacrament. The ties to religion meant that divorce could mean falling out of favor with god. Today divorce is accepted as marriage has faltered from a sacrament and rather a social institution. Divorce provides an easy way out of marriage during a society full of instant gratification and commitment deficits. Healthy relationships need communication. The human race excels because of our advanced ability to communicate with each other. Thus relationships inventively thrive through those same communication skills. Anything can be figured out, understood, appreciated, respected, or changed through conversation. As toddlers humans attempt to communicate before we learn to walk so it's about time we apply the same concept to relationships. Couples need to communicate before they take the step of marriage.

When reading the article, replace the words "walk" with marriage and "baby" with relationship. It doesn't fit together in some instances but overall it's an interesting perspective.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Key facts

Babies usually start walking sometime between about 10 and 18 months old.

Activities such as crawling and pulling themselves up to stand help your baby develop muscle strength and balance for walking.

You can help your baby by providing a safe environment for early walking, giving lots of playtime and encouraging your baby to move around independently and experiment.

When will my baby learn to walk?

Walking for the first time is one of the many exciting and memorable milestones in your child's development. Your baby has been preparing to walk from an early age. Now all the rolling, sitting up, bottom shuffling, crawling, furniture cruising and standing culminates in your baby's newest adventure: first steps.

Babies usually start walking sometime between about 10 and 18 months old. Before walking, babies will usually have been crawling (between 7 and 12 months) and pulling themselves up to stand (usually between ages 9 and 12 months).

How does my baby develop walking skills?

To walk, your baby needs to have developed many skills, including balance, coordination, standing up and being able to shift their body weight from one leg to the other.

Each new skill your baby develops builds on the previous skills your baby has learnt. As your baby gets older, the skills they learn get more and more complex.

While your baby was busy crawling and pulling up to stand, then cruising between pieces of furniture, they were building muscle strength. They were also developing skills like balance and coordination, which are all needed for walking and, later, running.

Once your baby starts to walk, they continue this process. They may experiment with moving from the floor to standing then back down again. They may move from sitting to standing and back again, walking, and then squatting to play. All these activities also help strengthen their muscles and balance. They'll keep on practicing and experimenting to improve their walking skills. They may walk in different directions, on different surfaces and while carrying large toys.

What can I do to help my baby learn to walk?

You can help most by providing a supporting physical and social setting and opportunities to practice walking.

Here are some general tips for helping your baby at this stage:

Play together - being with or near your child when they explore helps them feel safe and builds their confidence.

Encourage independent walking - being active and moving around builds your child's muscle strength and posture, which helps your child get better at walking and prepares them for running.

You can start by positioning yourself about two metres from your baby and encouraging them to walk to you. Once they've achieved this you can increase the distance. You can encourage them to push a toy pram or trolley. Once they're confident walking around, you can set up an obstacle course with soft cushions or foam shapes to walk over or around.

Make your home safe - as your baby starts to move around the house more, keeping the area around them clear ensures there are no accidents and creates lots of opportunities to walk and explore.

Do not use a baby walker - these do not help your baby learn to walk and can actually delay development of walking skills. They also cause thousands of injuries every year in Australia.
When should my baby start wearing shoes?

Your baby doesn't need to wear shoes unless they are going outside. When they are inside, letting them crawl and walk in bare feet helps their feet and toes develop normally. If it's cold, then wearing socks are fine.

When choosing shoes for your baby, it's important that you get shoes that fit properly right from the very start. Poorly fitting shoes can lead to foot deformities.

When buying shoes for your child, you should consider having them properly measured to make sure they aren't too tight and provide the correct support.

Learn more about children's feet and how to choose the right shoes.

When should I seek help?

If your baby is 18 months or older and isn't walking on their own yet, or if you're concerned about any areas of your baby's development, contact your child's doctor or a child health nurse for advice.

Last reviewed: June 2022

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your baby's first steps is one of the most exciting and memorable milestones in your child's development.

# data[].attributes.body
Based on the current state of society, I believe marriages fails due to two individuals moving too fast in their relationship unaware of the true meaning of it, and the lack of morals throughout different families. Couples who believe they are bound to be together despite knowing each other for such little time often leads to divorce. The failure of parents to implement morals into their children is another reason marriage is uncommon because, people are beginning to believe adultery is normal. Some qualities of a healthy relationship are communication, honesty, respect, and trust. These qualities all have different meaning in a relationship. I do not hope to marry someday, as I do not view it as special or the definition of love. Getting married is a choice from someone, who wants to be financially and emotionally tied with a person, however you don't need to be married to be happy, as I view it overrated.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek/201706/the-rise-and-fall-divorce
this link is interesting because it explains the history of marriage and how it has changed throughout time.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free and Funny Weddings Ecard: Marriage is overrated. Create and send your own custom Weddings ecard.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that marriages fail more often then being successful because people either rush into the relationships fast, or they are too young to be committed. I mean think about it, when people get into second or even third marriages they are often more successful because people learned from their mistakes prior and actually have an effort to make it work. Also they are older. Mostly second marriages start 10 years after their first so they are around 30-40 on average. Another factor could be the technology now a days. In the past, marriages often always worked out because people had trust. But now with phones and social media it is easy to cheat and connect with people you shouldn’t. I know from personal experience that’s how my parents relationship ended; so I was raised knowing how bad phones are in relationships. I hope to marry someday. Preferably when i’m 25 so I can have my first child when i’m around 25 but of course, if life changes this goal than so be it. I know that I will make it a priority for good communication and respect. Of course... TRUST!!!

# data[].attributes.body
I feel many marriages fail due to couples getting married at such a young age. They don't give enough time in their relationship to REALLY know they're significant other. Some qualities of a healthy relationship are having good communication between the two, because when you can talk to your partner about anything that's a hint that the relationship is strong. Another quality is honesty and loyalty, because when you're honest with each other, it helps the couple feel comfortable with one another. Loyalty is very important, because it gives the couple the feeling of trust. I hope to marry and have kids one day, however I know when I should and shouldn't get married, because of the advice given to me by my parents.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that many marriages fall due to a lack of communication and marrying too soon. In today's society cell phones are a tremendous part of our lives and sometimes they can distract us from proper communication because we are constantly texting and using social media. Without this proper communication I feel like people seem to get irritated more easily because people don't know how to talk things out anymore and compromise. Also, many young people today seem to be in such a rush to get married. I think people need to wait a long period of time to really get to know what you want and if you really want to spend your life with this person. Many people I think, are afraid to be alone in the world and want to rush into marriage not realizing the consequences t may have in the future. I believe that healthy qualities of a relationship are problem solving, communication, and being positive about things. I do hope to marry one day, but at the right time when I know that it is my best decision. I want to get married so that I can have a family of my own one day. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/notes-self/201310/8-keys-healthy-relationships

# data[].attributes.body
I think that the reason many marriages fail today because people are not ready to switch from the mindset of only focusing their attention on themselves to putting another person's needs before their own. A healthy relationship would be a relationship that is bound together by love, affection, adoration, respect, happiness and determination. Conversely, I also believe that, within  a healthy relationship, the couple should have arguments and difficult discussions because not everyone will agree with everything another person believes. If there are no arguments, then there are no important discussions being had, which is vital in a healthy relationship. I do hope to marry someday because I wish to find someone to share my life with who loves me as much as my family does. I fortunately have parents that are not divorced, therefore, that impacted the way I see marriage. So I do hope to be happily married in the future like my parents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One question that commenters often ask in response to any posts on this site regarding marriage, divorce, or adultery, is "why get married at all?" For instance, one recent commenter to an earlier post of mine on adultery wrote:
If I want to "be with" a man and he with me, why can't we just agree to be together and that's that? Why all of the vows, rings, stigma, government involvement and harsh rules? Marriage is a business. It's not about love or emotional connection...it's about feeling like you can rightfully own another person.
In other words (if I may paraphrase), why isn't love enough? Why do people have to make commitments in front of (take your pick) God, the state, family, friends, the community, and so forth?

This is a very good question, and one I struggled with for years myself, so let's take a deeper look. We'll discuss two aspects of commitment, positive and negative, and then two sources of it, external and internal. I argue that the bad rap that commitment and marriage all often get is due to the the combination of the negative aspect of commitment and the external source of it.

Commitment, in this sense, has two aspects, one negative and one positive. The one which commenters like the one quoted above criticize is the negative one, which focuses on constraints and rules. That is the "business" or contractual aspect of marriage, the "thou shalt nots" that get us into so much trouble when we decide "yes, we shall."

But there is an important but neglected positive aspect that explains why people voluntarily enter into commitments like marriage: it is way of expressing your love and devotion to another person. Not the only way, of course, but a well-established and particularly declarative way.

And these two aspects of commitment are, to a large extent, inseparable: the public declaration of devotion would not mean as much without the promised made therein. The fact that, in a traditional wedding ceremony, a couple stands up in front of the people who mean the most to them in the world and promise to love each other, support each other, and be true to each other, is what gives that public statement its force. It's also what makes it so heartbreaking, especially to those in attendance at the wedding, when those vows are broken (even if for good reason). And it can be safely assumed that no one would make such promises if not to express to the other person his or her devotion; we rarely make commitments for no reason. Rather, the commitments are the expression of love and devotion.

Now what I imagine happens with many if not most couples is that they start out emphasizing the positive aspect of the marriage commitment, and then over time the focus shifts to the negative. They take their mutual love and devotion for granted as the passion and lust fade, and the rules and constraints take center stage-and these rules and constraints end up seeming all the more binding and unfair in comparison.

This is where the sources of commitment come in. When a couple first declares their love and devotion to each other, and makes that commitment, it comes from their hearts-they want to make those promises voluntarily in expression of their love. In other words, the source of that commitment is internal. Even during the wedding ceremony, I doubt it seems like the priest, rabbi, justice of the peace, or Elvis is shackling the couple with the wedding vows-they want to make them. When the commitment is voluntarily, the positive aspect gets all the emphasis, and the negative hardly seems important. After all, why would I ever want to desert, ignore, or be disloyal to this fantastic person who I'm completely in love with? Perish the thought...

...until later on, when the bloom falls from the rose. Now the promises do not seem so voluntary, the ring seems heavier, and marriage seems more like the list of "thou shalt nots." At this point, commitment seems externally coerced, a institutional legacy of the foolishness of youth that only now made be paid for. This is even more true for marriages that did not start so rosy, that were somewhat contrived of forced by circumstances from the beginning. But even the mostly glorious, romantic marriages can decline over time, and one or both partners may start to resent the promises they once made so freely.

So when partners forget why they said their vows and made their promises in the first place, their meaning is lost, and only the ball and chain remains. One way to avoid this, obviously, is to not forget, to keep the love alive, to celebrate what brought you together in the first place. Then the rules won't seem as important, and the voluntariness of them will almost make them irrelevant-in a sense, the marriage begins anew. (There are many posts by other bloggers here that offer recommendations how to do exactly this.)

I think part of blame for the excessive emphasis on the negative aspect of commitment must also be laid on the contractual nature of marriage (with its historical roots in exchange of property rather than affection). Commercial entities commit themselves to certain actions contractually to elicit certain benefits; the constraints are a means to an end, and something they would avoid if it were at all possible. But as I explained above, the marital promises are part and parcel of the expression of love and devotion; the partners want to make these promises because they reinforce to each other their love. Thinking of marriage as just a contract makes this point harder to see, and invites cynicism and skepticism.

But isn't commitment counterproductive? If your partner is forced to be faithful, how can you know he or she is being faithful out of love rather than out of obedience or fear of reprisal? This is another product of the external or contractual view of commitment that emphasizes the constraints over what they express. If indeed your partner must be induced to be faithful, then no, he or she is not truly faithful, and if your partner were truly faithful, the rules and constraints would not matter. So, in a sense, external commitment does reduce its expressive value, that's true.

But... no one is perfect. Few people imagine (or at least admit to themselves) on their wedding day that they will ever be tempted to cheat on their beloved, but we know all too well that many do cheat (and presumably more are tempted). This is exactly where the external view of the marital promise has its value: when human weakness is at play. Even the most devoted partner may be tempted, and he or she may not be strong enough to resist without the commitment (and some aren't strong enough even with it). As the legal philosopher H.L.A. Hart explains in his classic book, The Concept of Law, it is in this way that laws bind even the best of us; when tempted to skirt the law, our respect for the law, if we hold to it internally, may keep us to the straight and narrow.

Basically, if commitments (like marriage) are freely chosen and adhered to, they won't seem like commitments at all, but they will still have all the meaning that commitments ideally have. But when we start thinking of our commitments only as commitments, and lose sight of the reason we made them, then the trouble starts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Get Married? The Value of Commitment

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One question that commenters often ask in response to any posts regarding marriage, divorce, or adultery, is "why get married at all?" Why isn't love enough? Why do people have to make commitments in front of (take your pick) God, the state, family, friend, the community, etc.?

# data[].attributes.body
I think there is an increase in divorce because people marry to early before they are ready. I also believe that there is an increase in divorce because it is not looked upon the same way as it used to be. In the past, divorce was considered improper, but now it has become much more normal and common. I believe that some qualities of a healthy relationship are communication, compromise, and honesty. Communication is important because often times, one person feels one way and the other feels a different way leading to argument. Honesty is also very important because lying will make what you do much worse. If you are honest with each other, you develop a trust. It is also very important to compromise. Although many couples have similar interests, not everyone is the same, so naturally they may like different things. The relationship has to be 2 sided with both being considered equal. In the future, I hope to get married one day, however I want to truly make sure I am in love. As the increasing number of divorces are happening, I don't want to be another one.

# data[].attributes.body
I feel marriages today are rushed. A couple gets together very quickly, without truly exploring each other or finding how compatible they really are. I feel a healthy relationship requires a long time in the "dating" phase, being completely certain that the person you propose to or accept a proposal from is someone you want to spend the rest of your life with. Life can become very stressful and it is important to find someone you know you can work through and over come this stress with.  I hope to marry someday because I feel having a family and taking on life with someone else is important. However, its just as important to make sure this person is the perfect match and will make your life better, not worse or more stressful.

# data[].attributes.body
I think marriages fail more often than marriages that make it to the end because people are either just settling or get married before they have fully matured. Also, I think divorces occur more often because it has been accepted into society as a norm. Before, divorces were unheard of or if they did happen, the separated couple was disgraced. Today, divorce is seen as an easy way to get out of a bad decision, and sometimes couples do it without a second thought. On the other hand, some qualities of a healthy relationship is trust in one's  partner, having mental support between the couple, love and communication. They also don't avoid problems and work them out. In the future, I do plan to get married but definitely not anytime soon. But before I do, I want to already have a life established for myself, one where I can support myself fully.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that failed marriage is so prevalent today because of  the couple being unready and unprepared to become married. Failed marriages are usually due to money problems, infidelity, and arguing. I believe that people don't really marry for love anymore and that people marry just to be married. In the future this leads to the problems aforementioned. Some qualities of a healthy relationship are unconditional love, respect, and most importantly, the ability to communicate with each other.  I hope to marry someday. I have always seen myself marrying and raising kids in the future. I know predicting the future is impossible, I do not want to get a divorce. I have seen many failed marriages (40-50% of married couples in the US become divorced) in my life and I DO NOT want to be a part of one. This is a reason I will only marry when I am truly sure I love the woman I am marrying.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Healthy marriages are good for couples' mental and physical health; however, about 40 to 50 percent of married couples in the United States divorce.

# data[].attributes.body
It seems that so many marriages end in divorce simply because so many marriages end in divorce. It's inevitable that some disagreements will arise in any relationship, but before divorces were so common, people would feel inclined to fix those problems and continue on together. Now, many people run at the sight of conflict in hope for the ideal relationship without any problems. A healthy relationship is one where both sides don't avoid conflict but rather seek out any points of disagreement to discuss and overcome. I do hope to marry eventually but I don't feel as if it's necessary to be married. Marriage should be something that comes naturally out of an actual want to be with a person for the rest of your life, not something that someone feels forced into artificially.

# data[].attributes.body
I think there has been an increase in failed marriages because of people being blinded by their love for each other in the heat of the moment without really thinking about their future relationship. Also, some people get married hastily because of pressure from their friends' marriages. Divorce is more frequent because I believe that people see divorce as common, if not tied to marriage, so if a partner feels uncomfortable or unhappy they can use divorce as a quick exit. Some qualities of a healthy relationship, that may be lacking, is communication, compromise, honesty, and genuine interest in each other's lives. In the future, when the time is right, I do plan to get married. I do wish for a genuine relationship and have a real connection with someone and our possible children.

# data[].attributes.body
Divorce is not looked down upon as much as it used to be. Back in Wilde's time, divorce would have been scandalous, but now, it's the norm. There was a study conducted recently that said people need a major change in life every 3-5 years, which would explain why the divorce rates are so high. I also believe that we, as a society, have lost some of the ability to communicate face to face, making relationships hard. In my experience, I am surrounded by good marriages. My parents just celebrated their 25th anniversary, and I believe that can be credited to their similar interests. They both like to explore nature, listen to similar music, and have the same values. Marriage has never been a question for me. I've always seen getting married and having kids as a given. I feel that finding your compliment is a major accomplishment in life.

# data[].attributes.body
I believe that so many marriages fail because people marry before they are truly ready and/or mature. Also, many people may just get married because before they agree to marriage, they have a baby together, usually at a young age. Currently, divorce is not looked down on compared to how it used to be and it is also now much easier to get a divorce because it seems normal to our society (Link on Divorce statistics is posted below). Some qualities of a healthy relationship include communication, honesty,  and the fact that the couple should have some interests in common. The people in the marriage together should be open and honest while communicating their feelings in order to make their differences work. I do definitely hope to marry someday because I feel as though having a family is a huge part of someone's life. Also, I do not know many divorced families and am constantly surrounded by marriages and families which makes this seem to automatically be my future. I hope to find a partner to help me get through the rest of my life because loving and being loved is how I wish to live the rest of my life, even through the ups and downs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Not surprisingly, divorce rates have fluctuated over time. Several factors contribute to this, including general attitudes towards divorce and marriage in society. While statistics reveal a steady increase in divorce rates, it wasn't until the 70s that divorce became statistically prevalent.

United States Divorce Rates Through History

According to nationally published statistics, divorce rates have climbed steadily during the last 150 years. There were a variety of factors that influenced divorce rates. All rates are taken per 1,000 of the general population.

Related Articles

Figuring Percentages

Statistics for these reports, unless otherwise noted, are given per 1,000 people. To arrive at percentages:

Take the rate per 1,000 people and divide by 1,000. For example, if the rate is .3, divide that number by 1,000. You get .003.

Multiply that number by 100 to get the percentage. Taking the example above, multiplying .003 by 100, you'd get .03.

Or to simplify, move the decimal over one space to the left. If the rate per 1,000 is .3, moving the decimal space gives you .03%.

Divorce Rates in the Late 19th Century

According to the CDC's report, 100 Years of Divorce and Marriage Statistics, (Table 1) divorce statistics were not recorded prior to 1867. In addition, divorce statistics here are reflective of how many divorces there were in the general population, not how many marriages ended in divorce.

1867 - 1879 - .03%

1880 - 1886 - .04%

1887 - 1890 - .05%

1891 - 1897 - .06%

1898 - 1900 - .07%

While there certainly was a stigma attached getting a divorce in the 1800s, divorce still happened on occasion. One factor that influenced divorce statistics at this time was the fact that women, outside of marriage, had very few economic opportunities.

Divorce Rates from 1900-1930

While divorce rates still were not that high compared to later years, divorce began to slowly increase. It's important to note that many places didn't even keep track of divorce statistics until the turn of the century which may have caused at least some of the increase in the overall divorce rates. Comparatively, divorce rates during the early 1900s were still low because you could not obtain a divorce without proving abuse, adultery, or abandonment.

1901 - 1906 - .08%

1907 - 1910 - .09%

1914 - 1915 - .10%

1916 - 1925 - Between .10% to .15%

1925 - 1930 - .16%

Divorce Rates During the 30s

While the trend thus far in history had been for the divorce rate to increase, this isn't quite the case with the 30s. Due to the depression in the 30s, many couples stayed together because they couldn't afford the aftermath of divorce. It wasn't until the unemployment rate went down that the increasing divorce rate trend continued. Unemployment was at its highest in 1933, and as the unemployment rate declined throughout the late 30s, the divorce rate increased.

1930 - .16%

1931 - .15%

1932 - .13%

1933 - .16%

1934 - .17%

1935 - .17%

1936 - .18%

1937 - .19%

1938 - .19%

1939 - .19%

Divorce Rates During the 40s

The 40s saw a distinctive spike in divorce rates right after World War II. Some have suggested that many families were strained under the burden of living with a man who may have been incapacitated during the war, or that many women had a new found freedom in working and didn't want to give that up. Regardless, the spike in statistics suggests that the end of the war definitely put a strain on family life.

1940 - .20%

1941 - .22%

1942 - .24%

1943 - .26%

1944 - .29%

1945 - .35%

1946 - .43%

1947 - .34%

1948 - .28%

1949 - .27%

Divorce Rates During the 50s and 60s

The 50s saw a decrease in divorce, and the rate remained relatively static until after 1967 when divorce laws begin to change.

1950 - .26%

1951 - 1953 - .25%

1954 - .24%

1953 - .25%

1954 - .24%

1955 - 1956 - .23%

1957 - .22%

1958 - .21%

1959 - 1963 - .22%

1964 - .24%

1965 - 1966 - .25%

1967 - .26%

Divorce Rate Jumps in the 70s

Divorce continued to rise steadily, taking a big jump in the 1970s. This may have been because, for the first time, couples has the option of a no-fault divorce. It was also the first time a spouse could cite irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce, making it much easier to obtain. Prior to this point, anyone wanting to end their marriage had to prove adultery or cruelty in the marriage.

According to a 1995 Monthly Vital Statistics Report, divorce rates rose steadily during the 70s.

1970 - .35%

1971 - .37%

1972 - .40%

1973 - .43%

1974 - .46%

1975 - .48%

1976 & 77 - .50%

1978 - .51%

1979 - .53%

Divorce Rates for the 1980s

Divorce rates in the 1980's remained high, reflecting the changing lifestyles and the changing divorce laws. However, the statistics did level off slightly even starting to lower at the end of the decade.

1980 - .52%

1981 - .53%

1982 - .51%

1983-85 - .50%

1986 - .49%

1987 - 88 - .48%

1989 - .47%

Divorce Rates During the 1990s

While divorces peaked during the 80s, rates decline into the late 1990s. While this has been attributed to many factors, like birth control and marriages later in life, the statistics from the U.S. Census in 2011 show the rates making a steady downward trend.

1990 & 91 - .47%

1992 - .48%

1993 & 1994 - .46%

1995 - .44%

1996 & 97 - .43%

1998 - .42%

1999 - .41%

Divorce Rates Over Time

An interpretation of the information gathered by the Census Bureau over the decades shows that American divorce rates fluctuate. Although these statistics may not include all states each year, they show that the numbers of marriages and divorces or annulments are declining. This may perhaps mean that, in the future, the number of divorces occurring each year will decline even further.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Historical Divorce Rate Statistics | LoveToKnow

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Not surprisingly, divorce rates have fluctuated over time. Several factors contribute to this, including general attitudes towards divorce and marriage in society. While statistics reveal a steady increase in divorce rates, it wasn't until the 70s that divorce became statistically prevalent. According to nationally published statistics, divorce rates have climbed steadily during the last 150 years.