Divorce

• Divorce Reform Act 1969


  1. Divorce made more accessible as people no longer needed to prove the other partner guilty of matrimonial offences, changed to include 'irreversible breakdown of marriage'

  2. Couples only needed to be separated for 2 years making divorce a quicker process
• Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984


  Further reduced the time of separation to 1 year, making divorces an even quicker process
• Feminists like the Divorce Reform Act 1969 and Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 as it promotes gender equality
• As women are more independent


  They can leave unhappy marriages and remain financially stable (70% of divorces are petitioned by women)
• Divorce

  The legal dissolution of a marriage by a court or another competent body
• Divorce rates have been steadily increasing since the 1970s
• Recently the divorce rates have been decreasing, likely due to the decline in marriages and increase in cohabitation
• 40% of marriages end in divorce (ONS 2018)