Can You Inherit a Tendency to Divorce?

You inherit a lot of different things from your parents, from your physical features to your personality. When they pass away, you might also inherit their assets.

But what about divorce? Could this also be passed down to the next generation? If your parents got divorced, what does that do for your own chances of getting a divorce?

You are more likely to get a divorce if your parents did

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but studies have found that people who have divorced parents are more likely to get divorced themselves.

There are a lot of different reasons that play into this, one of which is simply that you learn from the example that your parents set. You watched the way that their relationship progressed, so it’s something that feels natural to you in a way that won’t feel natural to someone whose parents stayed married.

People often assume this is a negative thing, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many people who feel that they can never ask for a divorce even when they would like the freedom that it would offer them, just because their own parents did not get divorced. If you’ve already seen this happen in your own life, that experience can help you understand when divorce is the next logical step to take. You may even have seen how it helped your own parents become happier after the divorce.

If you do decide that it’s time for you and your spouse to get a divorce, you need to know about all the necessary legal steps to take.