In the 1950s, divorce was rare among couples. Couples rarely resorted to divorce, and many believed that they made a commitment to each other and were determined to stick to it. They worked at solving their problems all while keeping their family intact. When a couple said "I Do" they meant it to be forever, whereas today "I Do" is term that is more loosely thrown around. In the 50s, the parents of the family tried not to get the family involved in problems such as financial problems or their marital problems (Schaeffer.)
- In 1950, there were 2.6 divorces per 1000 people (Schaeffer.)
- Today, the divorce rate is 3.6 divorces per 1000 people (Davis.)