|Failure of second marriages|
The following statistics were complied from the National Center for Health Statistics (2002)
Fifteen percent of second marriages ended after 3 years and almost a quarter after 5 years.
Though not statistically significant, the remarriages of black women are more likely to end, and those of Hispanic women are less likely to breakup.
Remarriage and divorce
The divorce rate following re-marriage is higher than that for the first marriage. A 2002 study by the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the CDC in the USA) collected information on the failure of second marriages.
Age and failure of second marriages
The failure of a second marriage is more likely for women under age 25 at remarriage (47%) than for women at least age 25 at remarriage ( 34%). This difference is slightly larger among white women.
Stressful events in the past may impact the stability of remarriages
The probability of second marriage disruption is higher for women who did not grow up in a two-parent family (49%) than for women who did (33%).
Women who have ever been forced to have intercourse are more likely to experience second marriage disruption. The probability of second marriage disruption is about 25% higher for all women who have ever been forced to have intercourse, and even higher among white women (33%)
General anxiety disorder (GAD)
Women who have ever suffered from GAD (general anxiety disorder) are nearly 50% more likely to experience disruption of a second marriage than women who have never suffered from GAD
Children from a previous marriage and failure of the second marriage
Women who already have children at the time of remarriage are more likely to have their second marriage end in divorce than women who do not have any children at the time of remarriage. If the children were unwanted, the probability of the second marriage ending is even higher
It is not surprising that the presence of children from a prior relationship can affect the stability of a second marriage, nor is it surprising that the presence of unwanted children may have a greater effect.
The chance of failure of the second marriage
Note that this report is in PDF format.