We're staying together for the sake of our budgets: Recession slows divorce rate

Divorces over the last six months have dropped by 40%, according to a survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, but that doesn't mean fewer couples are actually splitting up.

Thanks to the recession and uncertain job market, couples are living separately in their homes rather than setting up two households or selling the family home in a down market, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal.

Official government data on divorce rates is not yet out, but Los Angeles County says divorce filings are down 9% from last year. In New York County courts report 14% fewer couples filed for divorce in the first four months of 2009 compared to the same period in 2007.