Regardless of religious beliefs, background or ethnicity, everyone begins their marriage full of hopes, dreams and with the best of intentions. So how did we, as a country, get to the currently alarming divorce rate? The causes of divorce are too many and varied to be addressed in their entirety in this article. This article will focus on the contribution of marrying too young to the ever-increasing divorce rate. The 50% divorce rate commonly cited and accepted by the media is indeed alarming if not investigated and studied in depth. The perception that couples have only a 50/50 chance of success should they decide to get married is nothing less than depressing and, understandably, casts a long shadow of doubt and worry in the minds of young couples in love as they contemplate their future. However, when considering the divorce rate, it is important to differentiate divorce rates between various age groups to have a clear understanding of the overall statistic. Although divorces are all too common, the divorce rate has actually fallen to its lowest level. rate since 1970 as people wait longer to get married, cohabit without getting married, or enter into prenuptial agreements. Divorce rates peaked at 5.3 per 1,000 within the population in 1981 (LOPATTO). However, further investigation shows that 40% of all divorces occurred between couples under 30. This is an incredible 38% increase since 1970 (YARROW). The problem lies not in the institution of marriage, but in the age and maturity level of those who enter it. Statistics clearly demonstrate that marriages entered into between teenagers and couples in their early twenties are much more likely to end... . half of the document ......6/marriage-and-women-over-40/Regnerus, M. (2009, April 26). Freedom to marry young. Washington Post. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042402122.htmlRegnerus, M. (2009, July 31). The case of early marriage. Christianity today. Retrieved September 29, 2011, from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/august/16.22.html?start=1http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/05/12/ marrying_smarter_later_leading_to_decline_in_us_divorce_rate/http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/12/style/divorce-at-a-young-age-the-troubled-20-s.html?pagewanted=all&src=pmhttp://pewresearch . org/pubs/1380/marriage-and-divorce-by-statehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8331027/Couples-who-marry-young-are-most-likely-to-divorce. htmlhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575519871444705214.html