Divorce and Marriage

Divorce and marriage termination laws in most of the countries of the world are quite similar in nature. The marriage termination laws are clear in their descriptions of situations and reasons for separation. Usually, either or both of the partners can claim divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. Other grounds of mutual consents include, lack of understanding, lack of commitment, lack of conjugal life, etc. These are the most common reasons for divorce petitions all around the world. In the past 30 years, the divorce cases due to infidelity of either of the partners have increased by almost 500%. This can be attributed to the fact that many people now choose to exercise their right for divorce on the grounds of infidelity, which was not the case some decades ago. People are no longer willing to excuse or accept transgressions from their partners. Divorce and marriage terminations have also increased in numbers because of two other significant causes – economic independence of the people and work style/life style changes. The life styles of people have changed from being family oriented, wealth accumulation types to individualistic, luxury and self spending types. This is also a reflection of the changing economic scenario of the families – many people are individually earning and intend to spend most of their earnings on themselves and do not want to save money for their children. These individualistic life styles have also started reflecting on the divorce rates as the partners do not want to compromise on their life styles for the sake of marriage. This trend may or may not be a healthy one – that is a subject of another debate but it surely has impacted the divorce and separation numbers adversely. The other factor that has impacted the divorce numbers is the alimony factor. People nowadays do not mind paying alimony to partners because of increased earnings and in many cases, alimony is not even sought by partners. The institution of marriage is no longer a long binding affair and has become a matter of convenience and preference to the people. At the same time, it must also be said that people have become more aware of their rights and are no longer willing to stay within the confines of a non working marriage. They are not only knowledgeable, they are also willing to take the chance of starting a new life altogether.