Divorce in Britain since 1945

Overview

The changing divorce rate in England and Wales, the laws of 1949, 1969 and 2020, secularisation, women's changing status, empty shell marriages, serial monogamy and the consequences of divorce.

What you need to know

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Questions from this subtopic

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1. 1

   What are marriage and divorce?

   Model answer

   Marriage is a legally recognised union between two people that brings shared rights and duties. Divorce is the legal ending of a marriage by a court.

2. 2

   How has the pattern of divorce in England and Wales changed since 1945?

   Model answer

   ONS figures show that divorces rose briefly after the Second World War. Divorces then climbed steeply from 1971 and peaked in 1993. ONS figures put the number at about 80,000 in 2022, after a long fall.

3. 3

   ONS figures show about 165,000 divorces in England and Wales in 1993 and about 80,000 in 2022. By what percentage did the number fall?

   Model answer

   The number of divorces fell by about 52%. The fall is 85,000 divorces, and 85,000 ÷ 165,000 × 100 = 51.5%.

4. 4

   How did the Legal Aid and Advice Act 1949 and the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 affect divorce?

   Model answer

   The 1949 Act gave people on low incomes help with legal costs, so divorce became affordable to the working class. The 1984 Act let couples apply after one year of marriage instead of three.

5. 5

   What did the Divorce Reform Act 1969 change?

   Model answer

   The Divorce Reform Act 1969, in force from 1971, made the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage the only ground for divorce. Couples could divorce after two years apart if both agreed, or five if not.

6. 6

   What did the Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 introduce?

   Model answer

   The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 brought in no-fault divorce in England and Wales from April 2022. One or both partners can now state that the marriage has broken down without blaming anyone.

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