U.S. Women Increasingly More Likely To Seek Out Pre-Marital Agreements

By Sheryl Rentz on November 11, 2010

A San Francisco Chronicle article has brought to light the recent increase in the number of pre-marital agreements (also referred to as a pre-nuptial agreement or prenuptial) currently being filed by Americans. Just a few decades ago, pre-marital agreements were adopted almost solely by the wealthy. However, in today’s modern age, more and more middle class couples are choosing to enter in pre-marital agreements prior to officially tying the knot.

Interestingly, a recent poll by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) discovered that women are typically the ones to initiate a pre-marital agreement, doing so about 52% of the time, according to a survey of divorce lawyers in the United States. Speculatively, this could be attributed to the fact that the number of working wives has steadily increased over the years. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, about 46% of the workforce is now comprised of women, with numbers continually rising each year. With a greater number of women working and earning larger salaries than they did in years’ past, women have generally developed an increasingly higher interest in protecting their assets, which a pre-marital agreement offers.

A pre-marital agreement can include more than just asset protection. Such agreements can protect a person from their spouse’s separate debts, and can also protect one spouse’s retirement funds and pension benefits from the other, an very good step to take given today’s dire economic climate. The poll by AAML actually revealed a 36% increase in the number of couples who decided to include clauses dealing with retirement or pension benefits in their pre-marital agreement.

While it can be rather unsettling to discuss pre-marital agreement details with your significant other, an experienced and highly skilled Pennsylvania family law attorney can help you and your future spouse plan ahead for the contingencies of life. No matter your social or economic stratum, it is always a good idea to plan for the future, and signing a Pennsylvania pre-marital agreement can help prevent a costly dispute in the event that your marriage doesn’t work out for the best. The Pennsylvania family law attorneys at The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz can help negotiate a fair pre-marital agreement for you and your spouse. Call our office today at 610-645-0100 for a free consultation and to find out more about Pennsylvania pre-marital agreements.