Marketwatch had an interesting story on how divorce rates have fallen during this economic recession. The article appeared this weekend and quotes a Phoenix area family law attorney Bonnie Booden:

Hitched to the economy
Divorce rates drop as couples realize it’s cheaper to stay together
By Marty Orgel

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — The recession and economic turmoil is creating a new class of casualties: Married couples who can’t afford to get divorced. In these tough times many people are finding it’s cheaper to stay together, even when they can’t stand each other.

“The reason that the economy has such an enormous impact on divorce is that most people in the middle-income brackets are getting by on whatever income they have. They’re just getting by,” said Bonnie Booden, a family law and divorce attorney in Phoenix.

A major factor in the divorce downturn, Booden said, is divorced couples have to establish two separate households with current funds — a prohibitive factor when you’re looking at divorce in tough economic times.

Booden said one out of every two clients is seeking consultations because they can’t afford to get divorced. They want to know what other options they might have.

“I tell them about the process, about the cost, and what a reasonable outcome might be. And once they hear the cost, and especially how you have to duplicate two households on the same money that currently funds one household, they try to think about some other options,” she said.

Who knows maybe something good will come out, as couples stick “around” and weather the storm together.