Is Divorce Right or Wrong?

‘Divorce means that one Party regards the marriage as having broken down irretrievably.’  In modern society divorce is just a fact of life and one in three marriages now end in divorce and there are many factors that contribute to this that I shall elaborate in this essay.  There is also a Religious aspect to divorce, in Hinduism only the lowest castes could divorce until 1955. In Islam only the man can issue a divorce. In Buddhism the couple make decisions based on the five precepts.  In Christianity ‘god is displeased with people who divorce faithful spouses’-Malachi 2:14-16.  In this essay the religion I shall concentrate on is Judaism.

The Social Issues

In this section I shall cover the social issues surrounding divorce, the reasons for the rise in the divorce rate and the way companies have exploited the rise in divorce rate.  Even in today’s society when divorce is common practice it is still a sensitive issue.  Families are torn apart, children are traumatised and shared belongings must be sold even if they have sentimental value.  There are a great many social issues surrounding divorce which I shall elaborate in this essay.

One in three UK marriages fail and end in divorce but it can often be the best thing especially if children are involved.  It is far better for children to have one parent than two that constantly argue.  Despite the rise in divorce and its social acceptance in modern society it is still a personal tragedy.

Reasons for divorce

There are many reasons why a couple may choose to get divorced :money problems and unemployment ; their spouse has changed ; they are being taken advantage of ; and change in sexual orientation.  The couple may also have found fault with each other or just realised how little they thought about getting married in the first place.  

The law

Divorce in the UK used to be only obtainable for reasons of adultery until 1923 when a long string of law changes surrounding divorce began.  In 1923 a new law allowing women to divorce under the same terms as men, in 1937 divorce because of desertion and insanity was introduced.  Later in 1949 legal aid was made available, this enabled even the very poor to divorce.  In 1969 a couple could divorce upon agreement after a two-year separation or without agreement after a five-year separation.  In 1984 a couple could apply for divorce after just one year of marriage.  In 1995 ‘no-fault’ divorce was introduced and in 1996 you could divorce because of marriage failure after ‘a period of reflection and contemplation.’ In the UK either party can now take the custody of children.

Currently the grounds for a legal divorce are:

  • Adultery
  • Unreasonable behaviour, for example, lethargy, excessive drinking, violence, intimacy with another man/woman, keeping your spouse unreasonably short of money et cetera.
  • A two-year separation and them being in agreement over the divorce or without agreement after a five-year separation.
  • Two-years of desertion.
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How children and parents cope

As previously mentioned divorces can be painful and emotional.  These feelings are often greater when children are involved.  The worries and heartache in this field is probably more acute than any other part of the divorce.  I myself have no personal experience in this field but I know friends and family members who have.  This is a difficult topic to deal with because many children will not speak about their parents’ divorce with anybody, not even their parents, so they must seek help from the Internet or a book.

It is not ...

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