Study Suggests Children of Divorce May Be Less Likely to Graduate College - How to Mitigate Your Child’s Risks During an Illinois Divorce

 Posted on August 20, 2018 in Child Custody

A college degree is almost critical to career success in today’s working world, and as the United States continues to move further away from manufacturing and more into a service-type economy, that need for higher education is expected to grow even further. Unfortunately, a recent study has found that children of divorce may be less likely to obtain this education. Learn more about why this might be, and discover how a seasoned divorce lawyer can help to improve the circumstances for your child during an Illinois divorce. 

Study Finds Children of Divorce Are Less Likely to Pursue a College Degree 

Most studies regarding divorce and children focus on the tender years - the way that a parental separation impacts the child’s immediate circumstances. Data from these suggest that children of divorce tend to have lower reading and math scores, are less engaged at school, and they tend to participate in fewer after-school activities than children whose parents stay married. Yet, until now, no one really knew how this translated into the lives of adult children of divorce.  

Hoping to answer this question, researchers examined data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), which tracked a cohort of Americans since their teen years in 1997. What it found was that only 26.9 percent of children of divorce obtained at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to 49.6 percent of children whose parents were continuously married - a 44 percent difference. Also, just 12.2 percent of children of divorce stated that they were currently or had ever enrolled in a post-graduate program, which was compared to 19.6 percent of children whose parents stayed married - a difference of about 20 percent. 

Study authors controlled for various factors, such as reduced income because of the divorce and the fact that parents of divorce sometimes have lower educational expectations for their children, yet the disparity remained. In short, the authors concluded that the divorce itself may be at least partially responsible for the lower rate of graduate and post-graduate degrees among children of divorce. 

Protecting Your Child’s Best Interests in an Illinois Divorce

Although the data suggests children of divorce may be less likely to graduate from college if their parents divorce, other studies show that it is not the divorce itself that negatively impacts children, but the circumstances under which the separation occurs. As such, parents are highly discouraged from avoiding divorce, just because they think it will benefit their children. Instead, consider working to reduce conflict during and after the separation process, and strive for positive co-parenting. Davi Law Group, LLC can help. Strong advocates for children and committed to protecting your child’s best interests, our DuPage County divorce lawyers can help you work toward an amicable divorce. To learn more, call 630-580-6373 and schedule your personalized consultation with our office today. 

Source:

https://freebeacon.com/issues/study-fewer-children-divorce-get-degrees/