Age

Remarriage by AgeRemarriage is on the rise for Americans ages 55 and older, even as younger generations who take taken the plunge one time are becoming less probable to accept remarried. What has not changed is that older adults remain more likely to accept remarried than their younger counterparts.

Remarriage generally becomes more mutual with age—not surprising, given that it takes some time to enter into 1 spousal relationship, exit that marriage and and then enter into a subsequent ane.7 Only 29% of previously married adults ages xviii to 24 (absolutely a small grouping) had remarried in 2013, compared with 67% of those ages 55 to 64.

Simply the likelihood of having remarried has dropped sharply for those younger than 35. Among the small grouping of young adults who had already exited their showtime marriage, fully 72% had remarried past 1960. In 2013, simply 42% of young adults who had been divorced or widowed had remarried.

Remarriage is Rising for Those Ages 55 and OlderOver that aforementioned time period, the share of previously married adults ages 35 to 44 who had remarried dropped substantially (from 76% to 57%), and the share who had remarried among those ages 45 to 54 declined modestly (from 69% to 63%).

The trend in remarriage among adults ages 55 and older has gone in the reverse management. In 2013, ii-thirds (67%) of previously married adults ages 55 to 64 had remarried, up from 55% in 1960. And l% of adults ages 65 and older had remarried, up from just 34% in 1960. These increases may in role be fueled by rising life expectancies. Some suggest that longer lifespans accept contributed to increasing divorce at older ages as people realize they have many more years to live and want to find fulfillment in that extra time. The same cistron may exist contributing to increases in remarriage among older adults.viii

Gender Gap in Remarriage

Remarriage More Common Among Divorced and Widowed Men, but Gap is NarrowingAmidst those eligible to remarry—adults whose beginning marriage ended in divorce or widowhood—men are much more likely than women to have taken the plunge again. In 2013, some 64% of eligible men had remarried, compared with 52% of women.9

This may reflect, in part, the fact that men who have been divorced or widowed are more likely to want to remarry than are similarly situated women. Some 29% of eligible men say they desire to remarry, and 36% are not certain, co-ordinate to a recent Pew Research Eye survey; only 30% say they do not desire to marry once more. In dissimilarity, just fifteen% of previously married women want to remarry, and 27% are not sure; most half of these women (54%) report that they do non want to remarry.

While the gender gap in the likelihood to marry again is notable, information technology has narrowed over time, as men have become somewhat less likely to remarry, and women have become somewhat more probable to exercise and then. Today'due south 12-signal gap was a xx-point gap in 1980, when 66% of eligible men and 46% of women had remarried. In 1960, the gap was fifty-fifty larger—seventy% of eligible men had remarried, compared with 48% of women.

Gender Gap in Remarriage Persists at Oldest AgesThe gender gap has airtight mainly among younger and middle-aged adults who are eligible to remarry. Divorced or widowed women ages 25 to 54 are now about as likely as men in that historic period range to have remarried. Among those ages 55 and older, the gap remains substantial.

Looking at educational attainment, the gender gap persists across groups merely has narrowed most dramatically among those with a bachelor's degree. In 1960, amongst college graduates, only forty% of divorced or widowed women had remarried, compared with 75% of men. By 2013, that share had risen to 52% among women, but had fallen to 67% among men. In less-educated groups, remarriage among women has remained stable during this time catamenia, while information technology has declined markedly amongst men.

Race and Ethnicity

Whites Most Likely to RemarryAmidst adults who accept been divorced or widowed and are thus eligible to remarry, whites are the near likely to take married once more, and this likelihood has increased somewhat in contempo decades.10 By contrast, previously married Hispanic, black and Asian adults are less likely to have remarried than in the past. These patterns mirror those seen in rates of beginning marriage, where whites are more likely than blacks or Hispanics to enter into marriage for the first fourth dimension.11

In 2012, six-in-10 whites who had been married before had remarried, compared with 51% of Hispanics, 48% of blacks, and 46% of Asians. Age composition is playing a office in these patterns—the fact that whites tend to be older may contribute to their higher likelihood of remarriage, for instance. However, some racial and ethnic differences persist, even controlling for age.

Over fourth dimension, the share of previously married whites who remarry has increased somewhat, upward from 55% in 1960. In contrast, remarriage has declined since 1960 for non-whites and Hispanics. At that time, 63% of blacks, 62% of Hispanics and 49% of Asians had remarried.

The increasing prevalence of remarriage among whites is driven entirely past increases amidst white women. In 1960, 47% of divorced or widowed white women had remarried, and this share rose to 55% by 2012. Past contrast, the share of previously married white men who remarried declined from 69% to 66% over that same time period. For all other racial and indigenous groups, both men and women were less likely remarry in 2012 compared with 1960.

Looking at all currently married adults, one-4th of whites (26%) and blacks (25%) had been married previously in 2012. This share was lower among married Hispanics (16%) and Asians (ten%).

Nativity

U.S. Born More Likely to Remarry, but Gap is NarrowingAmong adults who are eligible to remarry, those born in the U.S. are more likely to do and so than those born exterior of the U.S., just the gap has narrowed over time as immigrants have get more probable to remarry.12 In 2013, 58% of divorced or widowed U.S.-born adults had remarried, compared with 51% amongst the foreign born. In 1960, those shares were 58% and 40%, respectively, and in 1980, the shares were 55% among the U.S. born and 42% among the foreign born.

Among all married adults, about a quarter (26%) of those built-in in the U.S. are remarried, compared with fourteen% of foreign-built-in adults.

Series Remarriage: Who Has Married Three Times or More than?

Third Time's the Charm?Among newly married adults in 2013 (those who had midweek in the past 12 months), 29% had been married at least once before, and viii% had been married ii or more times previously. Older newlyweds are among those almost likely to exist inbound their third marriage. Fully 33% of those ages 55 and older fall into this category, as practise 25% of those ages 45 to 54.

Not surprising, newly married adults younger than 45 were much less likely to be entering into (at least) their 3rd marriage.

Newlyweds with simply a high school diploma are almost twice every bit likely as those with a bachelor's degree to be entering their third marriage (ix% vs. five%, respectively). Some 8% of newlyweds without a high school diploma have been married at least twice before.

Ten percent of white newlyweds have been married at least twice earlier, compared with 6% of blacks, 4% of Hispanics and just 2% of Asians.

Native-built-in newlyweds are twice equally likely as strange-built-in newlyweds to be entering a 3rd (or college society) matrimony. Nine percent are doing so, compared with merely 4% amid the foreign born.