For people looking for love in Texas, online dating websites and apps could lead to successful marriages. A study published in 2013 recorded fewer breakups among couples who connected through online services. Online daters ended relationships at a rate of 5.9 percent whereas people who met in the real world broke up at a rate of 7.6 percent.
The study looked at 19,131 couples who married as a result of meeting online. Approximately 7 percent had separated or divorced, which represented a far lower rate than the national divorce rate of at least 40 percent.
With more than one-third of marriages now emerging from online dating activities, some researchers believe that society might experience benefits. Online dating grants people access to people beyond their social circles, and matching algorithms might actually be succeeding at connecting people with suitable partners. The online platforms also appear to be promoting interracial unions, which could reduce societal racism in the long term. One researcher also noted that the apparently greater success experienced by online daters could result from the readiness of many participants to commit to marriage.
Good intentions, however, do not always lead to marital happiness. Financial or emotional stress could prompt someone to file for divorce. When a person wants information about ending a marriage, an attorney could explain how the law might determine the division of property, spousal support or child support. Information about alternatives to court actions, like divorce mediation, could be shared by an attorney, whose legal insights could still empower a client’s decisions during the process.
