Divorce is commonplace in the U.S. It occurs owing to various personal reasons most often due to irreconcilable differences. Other top factors include poor communication, finances, abuse and infidelity.
Currently, statistics show that about 50 percent of all marriages end up in divorce and one occurs every 13 seconds. On a daily basis, marital relationships end at a rate of 6,646. Studies have also confirmed that genetics, income levels and education can influence a couple’s risk of divorce.
Another research done by Brown University in 2009 noted that divorce may be contagious. This means that the cultural and political identities of a state have a potential of influencing the marriage patterns of its residents. The American Community Survey revealed that Panama City in Florida has the highest divorce rates followed by Sierra Vista in Arizona, Charleston in West Virginia, Medford in Oregon and Reno, Nevada completing the top five list.
The entertainment industry is one sector of the American society that often highlights divorce. Every now and then, people hear and read news about a married Hollywood couple, whether with a child or not, breaking up for good. It may be a sad reality but this is a normal occurrence in the lives of Americans.
Breakups including divorce in the entertainment world are of varied types. There is the most expensive such as that of Mel Gibson who paid a whopping $425 million to his ex-wife. There is the shortest marriage by singer Britney Spears and Jason Alexander which lasted only for 55 hours.
In legal terms, divorce refers to the dissolution of marriage. The courts today recognize two types – the absolute and limited divorce.
For the absolute divorce, courts require the presentation of evidence of misconduct on the part of one spouse. This type, when approved, allows the spouses to return to their single status.
Limited divorce, on the other hand, refers to the separation decrees. It terminates the right of the couple to live together in one house but the court does not official dissolve the marriage. In this case, the status of the spouses remain unchanged.
In some states, conversion divorce is allowed. This type convert a legal separation to a legal divorce after both spouses have lived separately for a prescribed period of time.
If you’re undecided on the type of divorce to file, consulting a divorce lawyer is the most ideal step to take. This should be done if you’re a resident of Pasadena to help make the process easier for you and your partner.
Women are the ones who often file for divorce. Some 71.4 percent of cases in 1975 and 65 percent in 1988 were filed by women. Reports from the National Center Statistics showed that wives with kids filed for divorce in about two-thirds of cases from 1975 to 1988. The numbers, however, have varied through the years.