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Divorce

The Latest Thing Millennials Are Ruining? Divorce

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
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By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 25, 2018, 11:49 AM ET

Having ruined everything from home ownership to the mayonnaise industry, millennials are the process of spoiling yet another major American industry: Divorce.

Darned kids.

New data from the University of Maryland shows that the divorce rate has fallen 18% from 2008 to 2016, as Generation X and millennials are moving slower when it comes to marriage, Bloomberg reports.

Boomers, studies show, are divorcing at a much higher rate than previous generations. And the divorce rate tripled for people over the age of 65 from 1990 to 2015, according to Bowling Green’s National Center for Family and Marriage Research.

Younger married couples, however, are sticking together, though many younger couples are opting to live and raise children together, but are foregoing marriage.

The U.S. wedding industry took in $72 billion in revenue in 2016, according to a report by IBISWorld. And while no one has a precise number on the amount of money divorces bring in, it’s widely estimated to be in the billions.

Those millennials who do divorce, though? They’re doing it for some odd reasons. The video game Fortnite has been increasingly blamed for couples calling it quits. And a study in Sweden shows that a woman’s professional success could be tied to divorce rates in that country.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

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