Wood County Reporter

MARRIAGE
AND DIVORCE

Washington, D. C., Mar. 20.-

About one marriage in every nine is terminated by divorce.

The number of marriages in proportion to the population has increased since 1890, but the divorce rate has increased much more rapidly. The returns for 1916 show 1,050 marriages and 112 divorces per 100,000 population. These are some of the more striking features of a report on marriage and divorce, covering the calendar year 1916, which is soon to be issued by Director Sam. L. Rogers, of the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce. This report was compiled under the supervision of Mr. William C. Hunt, Chief Statistician for population.

Divorce

According to the returns, which covered 2,885 counties out of a total of 2,980—no data being available for the 95 missing counties—the number of divorces granted in 1916 was 112,036, or 112 per 100,000 of population, as against 84 in 1906, 73 in 1900, and 53 in 1890.

Excluding South Carolina, in which State all laws permitting divorce were repealed in 1878, the lowest three divorce rates in 1916 are shown for the District of Columbia, North Carolina, and New York—13, 31, and 32 per 100,000 population, respectively; while the highest three rates are those for Nevada, Montana, and Oregon—607, 323, and 255, respectively. The divorce rates were higher in 1916 than in 1906 for all the states except eight—Maine, West Virginia, South Carolina (in which there were no divorces in either year), Alabama, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Colorado and the District of Columbia. In 31.1 per cent of the cases the divorce was granted to the husband and in 68.9 per cent to the wife. The latter percentage compares with 67.5 for 1906 and 66.4 for 1896.

Causes of Divorce.

The principal causes for divorce and the percentages contributed by them to the total were: Desertion, 36.8 per cent; cruelty, 28.3 per cent; infidelity 11.5 per cent; neglect to provide 4.7 per cent; drunkenness, 3.4 per cent; combinations of preceding causes, 8.6 per cent; all others, 6.7 per cent. Desertion was reported as the cause of 50 per cent of the divorces granted to the husband and 30.8 per cent of those granted to the wife.

Children

In only 37.7 per cent of the divorce cases were children reported; in 52.1 per cent no children were reported; and in 10.2 per cent the records contained no data as to children. Children were reported in 27.8 per cent of the cases in which divorces were granted to husbands; no children in 58.7 per cent of the cases; and in the remaining 13.5 per cent the records contained no data as to children. The corresponding percentages based upon divorces granted to wives were 42.2 per cent, 49.2 per cent, and 8.6 per cent, respectively.

Marriages

The report shows, for 2,874 out of 2,980 counties—no information being available in the case of the 106 missing counties—1,040,778 marriages as having been solemnized during the year 1916. This number represents a rate of 105 per 10,000 population, compared with 102 for 1906 93 for 1900, and 91 for 1890. The marriage rate, therefore, is increasing, although not so rapidly as the divorce rate.

The marriage rate—105 per 10,000 population, or 1,050 per 100,000 was a little more than 9 times as great as the divorce rate, 112 per 100,000; and it may be said, therefore, that if the 1916 rate were to continue unchanged about 1 marriage in 9 would be terminated by divorce.

The marriage rates for the various states show considerable differences, ranging from 65 per 10,000 in Oregon to 176 in Montana.

The highest three rates 176, 150 and 149 appear for Montana, Maryland, and Florida, respectively; and the lowest three—65, 66, and 73 are those for Oregon, North Dakota, and Wisconsin, respectively.