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Why is divorce on the decline?

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Figures released by the office for national statistics show a decline in the number of people getting divorced. Rebecca Patience, from Harrison Drury’s family team, explores these figures.

Earlier this year, the Office for National Statistics released recent figures collated in relation to divorce in the United Kingdom.

The results show a decline in the number of people getting divorced. In 2015 there were 101,055 divorces of opposite sex couples, representing a decrease of 9.1 per cent compared with the 111,169 couples that divorced in 2014.

The 2015 figures show a 34 per cent decline from a recent peak in divorce rates recorded in 2003. It is thought that the fall in divorce rates may be consistent with an increase in the number of people deciding to cohabit rather than marry.

A societal change in attitude towards cohabitation as an alternative to marriage or prior to marriage, particularly at a younger age, is thought to be an influential factor for the decrease in divorce rates.

The statistics also show that most of divorces in 2015 were petitioned by the wife and the most common ground for divorce cited was the unreasonable behaviour of the respondent, with 37 per cent of all husbands and 52 per cent of all wives petitioning on these grounds.

Every year since 1985 the average age of those getting divorced has increased and things are no different this year, with the average age of men divorcing in 2015 rising to 45.9 and the average age for women rising to 43.5.

One thing that has changed this year is the inclusion of statistics related to same sex couple seeking divorce. Legislation allowing same sex couples to marry came into force in March 2014, and in 2015 we saw the first same sex couple divorces, with 12 female couples and 10 male couples divorcing.

As with opposite sex couple’s, unreasonable behaviour was the most common ground for divorce accounting for 77 per cent. This is not surprising when you consider that although adultery can be grounds for divorce in same-sex marriage, the infidelity must involve members of the opposite sex.

According to the legal definition, adultery can only be committed between two persons of opposite sex. The limited grounds for same sex couples to issue divorce proceedings offers some explanation for the heavy reliance on unreasonable behaviour in same sex couple divorce cases.

Rebecca Patience is part of Harrison Drury’s experienced team of family and divorce lawyers in Lancashire and Cumbria. For advice on divorce or family law matters, contact Rebecca on 01772 395185.


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