Changes in Law

• Equalising the grounds:

  • 1923 -> There was a sharp rise in the number of divorce petitions from Women
• Widening the grounds:

  • 1971 -> 'Irretrievable breakdown' made divorce easier to obtain and produced a doubling of the divorce rate
• Making divorce cheaper:

  • Legal aid introduced in 1949, lowered the cost of divorce
• There are other solutions:

  • Desertion -> Where one partner leaves the other but the couple remain legally married
  • Legal Separation -> Where the courts separates the financial and legal affairs of the couple, but they remain married and are not free to re-marry