Divorce : The And Legal Ending Of A Marriage

Throughout history, divorce has remained a controversial topic. Perceptions of divorce have drastically changed essentially because the value of marriage has changed. Marriage was once seen as a practical necessity and an irrevocable commitment. The view of marriage caused divorce to be perceived as a stigma. Divorce in earlier generations was not granted by the court system unless there were extenuating circumstances (Evolution). For example, if the woman in the marriage was unable to conceive children the divorce would be granted to the man. This remained the standard practice until the 1970’s with the introduction of “no-fault divorces” (Croteau).

In ancient Israel, the husband could issue a divorce, but the wife could not, and it was very much the same throughout much of England’s history (Magnus Hirshfeld Archive for Sexology).

The earliest occurrence of divorce law was in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in 1629. The committee that dealt with divorce matters made it possible for couples to divorce mainly under the circumstances of adultery or abandonment. During these times, divorce was highly uncommon. In the 19th century, divorce became a little more common, but

All things considered, divorce should not be a word that is commonly used. A man and woman should be married for all the right reasons, until one or both passes away. Divorce does not just harm the couple, but the children are affected as well. Some children turn to depression, cheating, drugs, and stealing while others are happy with the decision made by their parents. Hopefully as the years progress, divorce rates will

Numerous states enacted divorce legislation in the 1780s and 90s. Generally, divorce laws were more liberal in the West than they were throughout the rest of the nation.

easier for a man to divorce a woman, then women asking for divorce. There new reform created

In his essay on divorce under Jewish Law, John D. Rayner describes how it is the man who makes the decision to divorce his wife, because women didn’t have the right to initiate divorce (Jacob & Zemer, 2001). The process is discussed in Deuteronomy by saying a man “writes her a bill of divorce, hands it to her, and sends her away from his house” (Deut. 24 1-4). A husband could issue a divorce for any reason, if he feels that the wife was not “pleasing him well enough” (Greenburg, 2009). Again, this took place during biblical times, but even through the changes over the years, there were some instances of inequality in divorce. “Modern” times brought many changes in Jewish practices, especially in the secularization of many countries, making marriages more political and more concerned with the laws of the country, and not so much about Jewish Law (Jacob & Zemer, 2001). This shifted the connotation of divorce as well, focusing on civil separation rather than the termination of a holy connection in a religious light. However, even in the case of civil divorce in modern day government, a couple is still linked together under Jewish Law unless they sign a get. A get is a formal document of divorce that declares a Jewish couple’s separation under Jewish Law (Jacob & Zemer, 2001). Without this document, the divorce will go unacknowledged by the Jewish community. This relates to gender privileges in the Jewish culture because throughout these modernizing changes, these gets were unobtainable for women. Therefore, although a wife may be able to initiate a civil divorce in modern day, it would go unrecognized by Jewish Law unless the man decides to make it religiously

As human civilization advances, the more tolerant society has become to behaviors that used to be regarded as appalling and immoral. One of these behaviors is becoming divorced. According to a recent guidebook for couples who are in the midst of a divorce or considering divorce, 70% of Americans believe that divorce is a morally acceptable choice (Hawkins, 2009). This new understanding of divorce has played a significant role in the choice that many Americans have made to separate from their spouse. According to researchers in the United States 40%-50% of first marriages and 60% of second marriages will end in separation (Hawkins, 2009). Married couples in the United States are finding it difficult to remain committed to their spouses and it 's resulting in many failed relationships. Unless American citizens have a major epiphany about the foundation of marriage, the high divorce rate in the United States will continue and could escalate even higher in the next few decades for a variety of reasons including religion, finances, and adultery.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, divorce by definition is the termination of marriage caused by sin that entered the world (“Divorce.”). The Old Testament, along with the overall sovereignty of God, were the roots of Puritan living. Malachi 2:16 says that “For I, the God of Israel, hate divorce.” (“Divorce.”). Marriage was known as a sacred contract tied profoundly with God. With this being said, the Puritans heavily frowned upon divorce. It was a shameful act, although permissible when under certain circumstances.

Many families in the United States have or know someone who has been through a divorce. The reason for this is because divorce has almost become a normal occurrence in our society. According to the textbook Marriages and Families, Diversity and Change Seventh Edition “1 million married couples in the United States divorce each year.” (M. Schwartz, B. Scott, 2012, p. 390) In early America divorce was almost non-existent, that is not the case in our recent day and age. Unfortunately, in today’s society there are many factors that have contributed destroying marriages, one example being social media. Sadly, the couple divorcing aren’t the only ones affected by divorce. “A recent student of 13 European countries, Canada, and the United States found that the divorce risk of children of divorced parents is on average about twice that of children of non-divorced parents.” (Hong, Galher, and Bernhardt. 2006) Even though divorce rates have continuously been rising we do have many resources available to help save marriages instead of just giving up on the entire sanctity that marriage is supposed to represent.

In the world today, many men and women believe divorce is always a dreadful thing that occurs, but there is actually a beneficial side to it. Divorce has been around for many years and mainly just men were the only ones capable to make the decisions. Until, The Guardian states,” The 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act allowed ordinary people to divorce.” Under this new law, it was capable for women to make the decision, they just had to prove the facts to withhold a divorce. Following 1857, in 1923 there was a private member’s bill that allowed women to petition for a divorce for adultery. However, it only made it a little bit easier, they still needed to prove the reason. A few years later, they were able to pass another law, this law allowed divorce

The number one cause for divorce is financial difficulty, before a couple enters a marriage they have their own bills and spending habits, they do not need to consult anyone about their money. They want to be able to spend as they please, like when they

Divorce is becoming all too popular in our society today. When a couple experience tough times or have one too many arguments, they automatically think divorce. Despite its prevalence couples are not prepared for it’s long, drawn out, hurtful process. Divorce does not only hurt the individuals involved, it also affects the children tremendously. While many people don’t think divorce is a bad thing. Hollywood makes divorce look cool and uneventful. When in all reality, it is disruptive. Some people would say that divorce is a lazy way out of a marriage; the cowardly thing to do when a situation presents itself. Divorce is not the only answer to marital problems, in most cases.

Divorce is defined as the legal dissolution of a marriage according to the Oxford English Dictionary. If one wishes to begin a petition for divorce, they must be married for at least a year. Prior to the 1970’s the prevalence of divorce was relatively uncommon. There were specific requirements in which a couple had to meet before being eligible to terminate a marriage. However, towards the end of the 70’s no-fault divorces became a popular option allowing couples to file for whatever reason he or she wanted. In 1969–1970, California became the first state to institute so-called no-fault divorce (Wilcox, 2009). These specific laws had a great effect on the rate of divorce, beginning in the 1970’s. Divorce rose from 8% in the 1900’s to a staggering 33% in 1970’s and continued to rise (“Historical Divorce Rate Statistics”, n.d). Alongside the evolution of divorce came the wave of feminism, which is based on the advocacy of women’s rights. Feminism was quite popular. The new consciousness of feminism allowed wives to fell more at peace leaving their marriages that they found to be unsatisfying.

“DIVORCE” – Just the sound of such word in any married couple or children’s ear can cause great agony that can even become terminal. Research and personal experience, has proven that in today's society, divorce is more common amongst newlyweds. Since 2009 the rate of divorce has increased to approximately forty percent, There are three out of every ten marriage that ends up in divorce before it reaches the stage of maturity, and the most prevalent results are – lack of communication and infidelity.