Farmington Hills Family Law Blog

In Michigan, as well as nationwide, an increasing number of parents are unmarried. It is estimated that approximately four out of 10 children in the U.S. are born to parents who were never wed. In one state, authorities are experimenting with a new specialized court designed to assist unmarried parents with their unique challenges. That includes a heightened focus on fathers' rights.

Traditionally, much of the focus of the court system has been targeted on simply helping to ensure that child support obligations were enforced. The specialized court, however, is trying to do more for unmarried parents. It is supporting a system that encourages parents, mothers and fathers alike, to remain involved in their child's life, whether or not they are the custodial parent.

An increasing number of married couples over the age of 50 are getting a divorce, both in Michigan and nationwide. Statistics reveal that over 25 percent of those getting a divorce recently are over the age of 50.

A study conducted on the subject by the National Center for Family and Marriage Research discovered that approximately 50 percent of those in this age group getting divorced had been in a second or subsequent remarriage. Approximately 66 percent of all such later-in-life divorces are initiated by the wife rather than the husband, with many spouses indicating that they had been unhappy for years in the marriage.

Many non-custodial fathers in Michigan fail to pay child support. These delinquent fathers can sometimes get away with it for months - and even years - simply because the child's mother does not pursue legal action out of fear that it will strain an already-rocky relationship.

While a mother might think they are doing well by preserving the relationship with the child's father, they are actually just enabling the father to skirt his obligations, which ultimately has a negative effect on the child

Traditional data has led many sociologists and cultural experts to conclude that couples who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce. New information is coming to light, however, that could spell good news for pairs throughout Michigan who lived together before saying "I do." Moving in before marriage is a less reliable predictor than it has been in the past.

The information comes from a marriage research project in which 22,000 men and women were surveyed. Researchers concluded that because living together before marriage is now so common, it is less likely to result in marital strife later on. About 60 percent of people live together before they marry now, whereas only about 10 percent did so in the 1960s.