Alice Collinsworth
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND
August 19, 2007 01:33 pm
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This is the first of a three-part series exploring the problem of Oklahoma’s high divorce rate in Oklahoma and its effect on our state’s residents. Part two on Monday will highlight the generational impact of divorce; part three on Tuesday outlines one woman’s plan to help families avoid the financial pitfalls of divorce.
The state of marriage in Oklahoma is not well.
It’s an accepted fact that about 50 percent of American marriages end in divorce; among the states, Oklahoma traditionally ranks high.
It has become more difficult to compare state divorce statistics, said Kendy Cox, director of services for the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, but in 1999, researchers ranked Oklahoma anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5 on the list of failed marriages.
“Based on everything I’ve read and seen and researched, Oklahoma does rank right up there in the number of divorces,” said Oklahoma County Court Clerk Patricia Presley.
At the same time, applications for marriage licenses are on a decline during the past two decades. In Oklahoma County, 6,309 applications were made in 2006. The year 2005 was the lowest since 1987, with 6,288.
This year is even lower, with 3,720 marriage licenses filed as of Aug. 16. Of those, 174 were filed in the Edmond office.
That means 2007 may be one of the slowest years in two decades.
“I have no clue as to why that is,” Presley said. “I have racked my brain trying to figure it out, but I just don’t know.”
It’s a problem that puzzles relationship experts and government leaders; it affects every generation.
Meanwhile, the divorce rate is hovering in the high range. In January through June of this year, 3,335 couples divorced in Oklahoma County alone; 104 more divorced in Logan County.
Presley cautions that the number of divorce records can be misleading, as other social records are filed similarly.
Still, with an average of two children per family and at least two grandparents, it’s likely that more than 20,000 people were affected by just two counties’ divorces this year.
The Oklahoma Marriage Initiative, started by former Gov. Frank Keating and his wife Cathy in 1999 as a way to strengthen the state’s economy, remains one of the leading efforts to combat divorce.
Gov. Keating set a monumental goal of reducing the divorce rate by one-third by 2009. Experts were called in from across the country and many sectors of the Oklahoma community were involved.
Eight years later, the OMI, which is funded through the Department of Human Services, still is working to improve marriages.
However, representatives have admitted the original goal was unrealistic.
“Researchers now are saying, ‘Wow, that was really aggressive ... probably unattainable,’” Cox said. “We still think it’s a worthy mission, but it will take multiple strategies and a long period of time to make it happen.”
Cox said OMI has reached 115,000 Oklahomans through statewide community workshops and events. That’s about 4 percent of the state’s adult population.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said.
The OMI continues its work in 2007 with the support of Gov. Brad Henry and first lady Kim Henry.
Jackie Shaw, director of Edmond Family Counseling, said she has hope for the future of Oklahoma marriages.
“We are seeing more people who are at least willing to give therapy an opportunity after they are married,” she said. “We have more requests now for premarital counseling as well, which makes me feel better.”
Shaw said she sees two major problems in relationships contributing to a high divorce rate: An unrealistic expectatation about the commitment required to maintain a good marriage, and the attitude that it’s easier to run away than to deal with difficulties.
Does Cox think OMI and other marriage support measures are making headway?
“Absolutely,” she said. “There’s extremely high customer satisfaction (with our programs). The most common thing we hear is, ‘We now have hope.’”
acollinsworth@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 117
a look at marriage
what you need to know
Logan County 2004:
268 marriage licenses issued; 142 divorces; 3.6 divorces per 1,000 population
2003: 156 marriage licenses; 129 divorces; 3.1 divorces per 1,000 population
Oklahoma County 2004:
6,204 marriage licenses issued; 3,847 divorces; 4.0 divorces per 1,000 population
2003: 6,456 marriage licenses; 2,755 divorces; 4.3 divorces per 1,000 population
Source: Oklahoma State Courts Network
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