Reason for High Divorce Rates

There has been much talk of the increase in divorce rates. The last half century has seen the number of divorcing couples multiply dramatically. But why are divorce rates so much higher now? There are many reasons for this generally trend, some of which this article will explore.

One of the reasons is that it is much easier to get divorced these days. Changes in family law has made it much simpler. The most significant change in the law is that a couple can now get divorced in a ‘no fault divorce'. This means that neither party is said to be specifically to blame for the breakdown of the relationship. This means that there doesn't need to be a specific reason, such as unreasonable behaviour by one person.

It is not just a change in family law that make divorce easier these days, it is a change is society's attitude towards divorce. There used to be a stigma attached to divorce, whereby it was looked down upon by many people. These days (partly due to the number of divorces) it is not a big deal, and you are not made to feel like a failure if you have been in an unsuccessful marriage. People will not hold it against you the way they may have done in the past.

The role of men and women within a marriage has evolved over the years. In the past the man was generally considered the breadwinner who went out to work while his wife stayed at home and looked after the children. This has changed a lot over time and there are no longer specific roles in this way. When someone entered a marriage they used to almost fall into these roles. Now different people have different expectation of a marriage. These expectations may vary for the man and woman and this may cause conflict.

People (and especially women) are generally more independent now days. A married couple may have separate lives in some ways, such as work and their social lives. Therefore their lifestyles may vary, and the less they have in common the more they are likely to drift apart. They are also more likely to meet someone else.

Education and employment can have a big effect on a marriage. Statistics show that women with a high quality education are more likely to get divorced. This is likely to be due to the employment opportunities that this leads to. Work brings stress, and if both halves of a marriage are working then there may be more stress within the home. It also means that each person is financially independent, so finance may not be as much of an issue if the couple were to divorce. This means they are less likely to stay together just because they can't afford not to. More working women are thought to be why the divorce rates have increased so dramatically in China and India recently.

Religion may also be a reason for divorce rates increasing, or at least lack of religion. Within many religions divorce is deemed wrong. And these days less people have the strong religious beliefs that may prevent them from getting divorced.

So there are many reasons that may have contributed towards the large increase in divorce rates in recent times. This by no means covers all reason for divorce, but they are some of the changes in society that have taken place over the last half century that may have contributed.

Andrew Marshall ©

Family Law London


Divorce Lawyer London