Running an online divorce review site, we’ve often heard that financial difficulties are among the leading reasons people get divorced, but news out of Iowa would seem to indicate otherwise.

According to the Quad-City Times, financial turmoil seems to be keeping people together as the state just posted its lowest divorce rate since 1968.

Last year’s total of 6,715 marriage dissolutions was just north of the 6,511 couples, who sought how to file for divorce in 1968, data compiled by the state Department of Public Health revealed.

“What’s happening is the recession is keeping people from divorcing,” said associate professor of sociology Susan Stewart of Iowa State University. “It’s really expensive to get a divorce and to set up new households … Family research shows that when there is financial hardship — and this is society-wide because of the recession — people just tend to maintain the status quo. They don’t make any big life changes, and that includes putting off having children, delaying getting married, and delaying getting divorced as well. All of these are national trends, and Iowa is also following these same trends.”

While do it yourself divorce options can offer cheaper means to the dissolution of a marriage, most Iowa couples, who are experiencing marital difficulties, have chosen not to pursue that as an option. There could be a number of reasons for the refusal to split.

• A contentious relationship: neither spouse plans to part amicably if/when the divorce does finally happen. Perhaps one spouse has more separate property and/or earning potential, and that could establish a reluctance on the part of both parties to simply walk away from the marriage.
• Child custody issues: if two spouses cannot agree on a custody arrangement and the disagreement could lead to a costlier divorce proceeding, then parents will likely not wish to add extra burden on the child. As a result, they could be waiting until financial matters turn around before pursuing divorce.
• Only one party wants the divorce: if only a single party is committed to the divorce, then the chances of conflict increase, and with that, so do the costs.

If you and your spouse don’t fall under any of these descriptions, then you may want to pursue a DIY divorce online. MyDivorceDocuments.com specializes in easing the burden of divorce by pointing you toward online divorce reviews for some of the very best DIY and attorney referral sites on the web.