Historic period

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

Remarriage generally becomes more than common with age—non surprising, given that it takes some fourth dimension to enter into 1 marriage, get out that spousal relationship and and so enter into a subsequent one.7 Only 29% of previously married adults ages 18 to 24 (admittedly a pocket-size group) had remarried in 2013, compared with 67% of those ages 55 to 64.

Just the likelihood of having remarried has dropped sharply for those younger than 35. Among the small group of young adults who had already exited their starting time matrimony, fully 72% had remarried past 1960. In 2013, only 42% of young adults who had been divorced or widowed had remarried.

Remarriage is Rising for Those Ages 55 and OlderOver that aforementioned time menstruum, 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 tendency in remarriage among adults ages 55 and older has gone in the reverse direction. In 2013, two-thirds (67%) of previously married adults ages 55 to 64 had remarried, up from 55% in 1960. And fifty% of adults ages 65 and older had remarried, up from but 34% in 1960. These increases may in part be fueled by rising life expectancies. Some suggest that longer lifespans have contributed to increasing divorce at older ages as people realize they accept many more years to alive and want to find fulfillment in that extra fourth dimension. The same gene may be contributing to increases in remarriage amongst older adults.eight

Gender Gap in Remarriage

Remarriage More Common Among Divorced and Widowed Men, but Gap is NarrowingAmong those eligible to remarry—adults whose first marriage concluded 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.nine

This may reflect, in function, 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 want to remarry, and 36% are non certain, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey; only xxx% say they exercise not desire to ally again. In contrast, just xv% of previously married women desire to remarry, and 27% are non sure; most half of these women (54%) report that they exercise non want to remarry.

While the gender gap in the likelihood to marry again is notable, it has narrowed over time, as men have go somewhat less likely to remarry, and women accept become somewhat more likely to do so. Today's 12-indicate gap was a 20-bespeak gap in 1980, when 66% of eligible men and 46% of women had remarried. In 1960, the gap was fifty-fifty larger—70% of eligible men had remarried, compared with 48% of women.

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

Looking at educational attainment, the gender gap persists across groups just has narrowed well-nigh dramatically among those with a available'south caste. In 1960, amidst college graduates, only 40% of divorced or widowed women had remarried, compared with 75% of men. By 2013, that share had risen to 52% amongst women, but had fallen to 67% among men. In less-educated groups, remarriage among women has remained stable during this time menstruation, while information technology has declined markedly among men.

Race and Ethnicity

Whites Most Likely to RemarryAmid adults who accept been divorced or widowed and are thus eligible to remarry, whites are the most likely to have married again, and this likelihood has increased somewhat in recent decades.ten By contrast, previously married Hispanic, blackness and Asian adults are less probable to have remarried than in the past. These patterns mirror those seen in rates of start marriage, where whites are more probable than blacks or Hispanics to enter into marriage for the outset time.11

In 2012, six-in-ten whites who had been married earlier had remarried, compared with 51% of Hispanics, 48% of blacks, and 46% of Asians. Historic period composition is playing a role in these patterns—the fact that whites tend to be older may contribute to their college likelihood of remarriage, for instance. However, some racial and indigenous differences persist, even controlling for historic period.

Over time, the share of previously married whites who remarry has increased somewhat, upwards 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 by increases among white women. In 1960, 47% of divorced or widowed white women had remarried, and this share rose to 55% by 2012. By contrast, the share of previously married white men who remarried declined from 69% to 66% over that same time menses. For all other racial and ethnic groups, both men and women were less likely remarry in 2012 compared with 1960.

Looking at all currently married adults, one-quaternary 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 probable to do so than those built-in exterior of the U.S., but the gap has narrowed over time every bit immigrants accept become more probable to remarry.12 In 2013, 58% of divorced or widowed U.South.-born adults had remarried, compared with 51% amongst the foreign built-in. In 1960, those shares were 58% and 40%, respectively, and in 1980, the shares were 55% among the U.Southward. born and 42% amid the foreign born.

Among all married adults, about a quarter (26%) of those born in the U.S. are remarried, compared with 14% of strange-born 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 wed in the past 12 months), 29% had been married at to the lowest degree in one case before, and 8% had been married two or more times previously. Older newlyweds are amongst those most likely to be entering their third matrimony. Fully 33% of those ages 55 and older fall into this category, every bit exercise 25% of those ages 45 to 54.

Non surprising, newly married adults younger than 45 were much less likely to be entering into (at least) their third marriage.

Newlyweds with simply a high school diploma are well-nigh twice as likely as those with a available's degree to be entering their third wedlock (9% vs. 5%, respectively). Some eight% of newlyweds without a high school diploma have been married at least twice before.

Ten percent of white newlyweds take been married at to the lowest degree twice earlier, compared with vi% of blacks, iv% of Hispanics and only 2% of Asians.

Native-born newlyweds are twice as likely every bit foreign-born newlyweds to be inbound a third (or college social club) marriage. Nine percent are doing so, compared with just four% amid the strange born.