It may be helpful to understand a little about divorce and the typical effects it has on men and women. The divorce rate in the United States is the highest in the world. Fifty percent of marriages end in divorce. Sixty-seven percent of all second marriages end in divorce. As high as these figures are, what is also true is that the divorce rate appears to be dropping. The reasons for this change are not clear. Many people cannot afford to divorce, many people cannot afford to marry. Another reason is that “baby boomers,” who account for a large proportion of our population are no longer in their 20s and 30s, the ages when divorce is most prevalent. The societal expectation is that divorced life is less satisfying than married life. Divorce is associated with an increase in depression–people experience loss of partner, hopes, and dreams, and lifestyle. The financial reality of divorce is often hard to comprehend: the same resources must now support almost twice the expenses. Fifty percent of all children are children of divorce. Twenty-eight percent of all children are born of never-married parents. Divorce is expensive. Aid for Dependent Children (AFDC) resources are drained by the needs of divorced and single-parent families; including the cost of collecting child support.