European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 10, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday april 10. 19b7 the stars and stripes " " " Vos pc k i to. " cold limbs in Central Asia warm blossoms in Paris Arm in the soviet Republic of Al Ruiz were starting to Bloom. And seemingly a is the warm Sweet scented splendor of and forsythia bursting Rah Kaiim the limb breaking ice an fruit Trees Ihil season away from the Bleak Allan scene april in Paris with the Cherry blossoms background or the Eiffel t divorce rate in . Leveling off study suggests Washington a the United states has passed through a time of rising divorce and now May be in a period of stabilizing marriages according to a new study by census Bureau statisticians. Divorce seems to have peaked in the talc l-970s and now has slopped its nearly two decade Long increase Tays the report by Arthur Norton and Jeanne Moor Man of the Bureau s population division. The leveling divorce rate Likely stems from a combi nation of the rising age at first marriage and a change in social attitudes toward maintaining marriages. Moorman said. There seems to have been a period when divorce was he easiest answer. Now Here in More of a feeling that people should try harder should work More at it. Marriage is important. And we should not be giving up so easily she said. In addition she said marriages that occur later seem to be Mure Stahle marriages. And the Conse Quence is the stabilizing of divorce rates but thai new stability does t mean a return to the family arrangements of the past the report indicates. The Rale of divorce remains High first marriages arc taking place later than Ever before More Young women will never wed and remarriage after divorce is becom ing less frequent concluded the study published in the february edition of the journal of marriage and the family. For women in Isdr 20s, the divorced proportion increased from 1975 10 i9so bul did nol change significantly from 1980 to 1985, the study found. Ins Faras divorce is and will continue to be disproportionately an Deli Vii of Young adults these figures May suggest the beginning of an Overall stabilization if not a diminution of the rate of divorce after first marriage for women currently in their 20s," concluded Norton and Moorman. However a 1985 Survey found nearly one third of women aged 35 to 39 had ended a first marriage in divorce and they projected As Many As 56 percent of this group would eventually divorce. That is More divorces than is expected for women either older or younger than that group the authors said since those in their talc 30s Are unique and rep resent the Vanguard of the Post world War it baby  these people arc at once deviant and trend seders whose extraordinarily High divorce experience Al though somewhat anomalous also helped to establish new normative societal standards that permit a Gener ally High rate of divorce they said. Factors increasing this rate More than double the 24 percent rate expected for women aged 55 to 59 include economic cycles political events technical advances in Fertility control the rising employment of women and Oiher social cultural and psychological changes. Norton and Moorman found divorce was most Likely for women who first marry while still in their teens and for those who give Binh within invt a months after being married. Divorce also is higher among women with incomplete educations. While past studies have fount 95 Pircon of women eventually marry the Low marriage rate among Young or groups May portend a decline in thai  to around 0 percent the report speculates. And Pursuit of education and careers by Young women has led to postponement of Many marriages and a resulting increase in age at first marriage. Median age at first marriage fur women Taw rum 21.1 years in 1975 to 21.3 years in Ives. Most women who divorce eventually remarry nor ton and Moorman found but the proportion remarrying appears to be  from the current 75 percent this rate seems Likely to drop to about 70 percent they speculated. And with fewer remarriage re divorce also is show ing signs of a decline it appears thai divorce remarriage and re divorce May have peaked in the Laic 1970s and will recede to some new normative level 1c ill is happens it will bean important but Noi drama ii change. Most adults will marry and the incidence of divorce in tic . Will Likely remain among the highest in the world Moor Man and Norton concluded their study. Marriage and divorce patterns of . Women also concluded women who Wail until they arc 30 or older to wed tend to have More stable marriages Over the Long run. Some prior studies have indicated divorce might be higher among women who marry in their 30s, but Moorman and notion Challenge this. Rather than a change in rates this is instead a change in Liming they conclude. Women married in their 30s arc actually less Likely to divorce Overall bul if they do so icy do ii sooner than younger women. Norton and Moorman found the presence or absence of children docs not seem to have a major effect on divorce and remarriage. Among women in their 30s Al the time of divorce there was no statistically significant difference Between the remarriage percents for women with Otic or More children and childless women they said. However women who remarry after divorce tend to have More children Hap those who do not divorce or do nol remarry after a divorce