German Divorce Trend

Based on The Secondhand Man

The graph was constructed from data in the following table.

Numbers of Divorces in Germany, 1955  - 1997

Year	Divorces	Minor Children affected	Notes
1955	48,000		1
1956	48,000		1
1957	48,000		1
1958	49,667		2
1959	51,391		2
1960	53,176		2
1961	55,022		2
1962	56,933		2
1963	58,910		2
1964	60,956		2
1965	63,072		2
1966	65,263		2
1967	67,529		2
1968	69,874		2
1969	72,300		1
1970	76,316		2
1971	80,555		2
1972	85,029		2
1973	89,752		2
1974	94,738		2
1975	100,000		1
1976	108,258		1, 3
1977	74,658		1, 3, 4
1978	82,164		2
1979	90,424		2
1980	99,515		2
1981	109,520		1, 3
1982	114,479		2
1983	119,662		2
1984	125,081		2
1985	130,744	96,991	1, 3
1986	134,263		2, 5
1987	137,877		2
1988	141,589		2
1989	145,400		2
1990	149,314		2
1991	153,333		2
1992	157,461		2
1993	161,699		2
1994	166,052	135,318	1, 3
1995	169,400	142,300	3
1996	175,550	148,782	3
1997	187,802	163,112	3

Notes:

1. Quoted from The Secondhand Man, p. 31, 32
2. Interpolated
3. Value as per German Federal Bureau of Statistics
4. Year of Divorce Reform, celebrated as the marriage law reform of the century
5. Small follow-up reform, undertaken to reduce the "advantages" for women somewhat

The author of The Secondhand Man concluded her description of this data with the comments that almost 90% of the children that against their will became orphans of divorce in 1994 were in almost 90% of the cases prevented from having a life with their fathers.  She further stated that almost 70% of the divorces were filed by women who were tired of their marriages. (p. 32)

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Posted 1999 06 02
Updates:
2001 02 02 (format changes)
2002 03 05 (added link to Table of Contents)