Monday, April 5, 2004, 10:00 AM EST
Contact: Mary Schwarz
212-246-3942
Divorce Rates Can Be Cut: A Major New Study of 114 Cities Which Cut Divorce Rates by 17.5%
National Press Club
529 14th Street NW, Washington, DC
For 30 years there has been one divorce for every two marriages in America. This 50% divorce rate has appeared to be granite that could not be chipped. There has been no proven strategy for reducing the divorce rate across a community, until now.
However, a major new study will be released at 10 a.m. April 5, at the National Press Club with evidence from more than 100 counties that clergy who cooperate across denominational lines can create a "Community Marriage Policy®" that cuts the divorce rate by 17.5% over seven years. That is nearly double the decline of comparable counties in each state with no plan to save marriage, whose divorce rate fell 9.4% in the same period.
The study, "Assessing the Impact of Community Marriage Policies® on U.S. County Divorce Rates" by the Institute for Research and Evaluation of Salt Lake City - found that clergy can significantly reduce the divorce rate. However, the key is for clergy of diverse houses of worship to adopt a Community Marriage Policy®, with such reforms as rigorous marriage preparation, enriching all existing marriages and mentoring couples in crisis. Then the divorce rate decline almost doubles that of counties with no such program, says the study, which is scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of Family Relations, a leading scholarly journal. The study's executive summary is attached.
Diane Sollee, Director of Smart Marriages, a speaker at the press conference, said, "The results are extraordinary especially when you realize that the creation of Community Marriage Policies was not a funded effort, but a truly grassroots effort run entirely by volunteers. Imagine what could be done with funding and administrative help, in a focused, coordinated effort."
"This is not rocket science," says Mike McManus, creator of the Community Marriage Policy® formula. "This is all based on common sense and existing resources."
"Nine of ten Americans marry in a church. This gives clergy great access to couples. Yet most churches are simply wedding factories," says McManus, a syndicated columnist and President of Marriage Savers, the group which has helped the clergy organize a "Community Marriage Policy®" in 183 cities in 40 states. "The Community Marriage Policy formula includes a step-by-step plan by which clergy can help couples have not only beautiful weddings but also help them have the marriages and families of their dreams. Our couples have a 3% divorce rate."
"The crucial ingredients are mentor couples - found in any congregation - who are trained to provide rigorous marriage preparation, ongoing enrichment of existing marriages and guidance and support for couples in crisis," says McManus who persuaded the clergy of Modesto, California - 95 pastors, priests and one rabbi - to adopt the first Community Marriage Policy in 1986. Modesto clergy said their goal was to "radically reduce the divorce rate in area churches." They have accomplished far more than that, with a net drop of 40% in the county's divorce rate, saving 2,168 marriages in 2001 alone.
The Institute's study notes that since most Community Marriage Policies® were adopted at the city level, while data on divorce is only gathered at the county level, "finding a significant program effect under these conditions would be surprising." Nevertheless, it examined the impact of 114 Community Marriage Policies® (CMPs) created by Marriage Savers in 122 counties that were signed by 2001. It found that while there was no impact in many counties, the impact was large enough in others for CMP communities to experience a 17.5% fall in the divorce rate over seven years. The study compared those counties with similar, comparison counties without a CMP, whose divorce rates fell 9.4%.
"The Institute estimates that 31,000 divorces are being avoided in 114 cities with a Community Marriage Policy®. Since clergy and community leaders have now created 183 Community Marriage Policies, that number could be perhaps 40,000 to 50,000 marriages being saved," reports Dr. Stan Weed, President of the Institute for Research and Evaluation in an Executive Summary of the study. Data for each of the 114 cities such as Austin, El Paso, Shreveport, Salem, OR, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Louisville and Chattanooga will be put on the web at marriagesavers.org by the end of April.
