There is one thing that the crisis is improving – marriages.
Data from the National Statistic Institute (INE) shows that the average duration of marriages grew from 14.3 years to 15.7 between 2007 and 2012 and that the number of divorces fell for the second year in a row.
Jorge Duarte, a lawyer who runs a divorce information website, believes these numbers are directly related to the economic crisis. “Unhappy spouses hear about cuts on salaries, benefits and pensions and refrain from a life on their own,” he said.
The attorney does not consider the economic situation as the sole cause of a drop of 1,376 divorces from 2011 to 2012.
“An increase in informal unions also leads to a smaller number of divorces,” he added.
