Divorce Can Be a Good Thing

A recent survey demonstrated some interesting perspectives that Americans have about divorce and commitment. It also generated some enlightening responses. Specifically, while polling shows that Americans have demonstrated an increasing acceptance of things like birth control, premarital sex, abortion, single motherhood, etc., it also shows that while they are fine with divorce, they are increasingly judgmental about the reasons behind divorce.

But how can this be? It turns out, actually, the likely explanation is pretty simple: increasing liberalism—whereby people in this day and age have more freedom in general to delay marriage, date, live on their own, and/or be a single parent—is essentially leading to more judgmental attitudes because people feel that we have more choices in general and should thus only get married if we are absolutely sure that it can and will work out. In other words, if things don’t work out, you didn’t “perform due diligence” because marriage is the ultimate gold standard.

This phenomenon has puzzled many, particularly as more and more Americans are accepting of homosexual couples and people living together in general before marriage.

Disproportionate Judgment

The jump has been significant: While close to 47 percent of women and 44 percent of men agreed that divorce is the best solution when a couple cannot seem to work out marriage issues as of 2002, in the most recent survey (2011-2013), those figures fell to 38 percent of women and almost 40 percent of men.

Yet many have criticized this belief, particularly as the burden of working on the marriage tends to fall on women, indicating that these increasingly judgmental attitudes about divorce fall disproportionately on them. In reality, staying in a marriage is not just a matter of willpower, and you absolutely can do everything “right” and still not have things work out. Some have even called this concept that if a marriage doesn’t work out it’s because you didn’t work hard enough as “inhumane,” as no one should feel pressured to work on a relationship when they’ve fallen out of love and there is unhappiness, regardless of effort.

Other Reasons?

Some have also speculated that because the survey was done between 2011 and 2013—on the heels of an economic low—it might also be due to some couples not having the finances to divorce.

Dedicated Counsel for Difficult Times

No one needs to justify why they are ending a relationship. The purpose of relationships is to make life happier, and if they aren’t working out, they can be ended amicably.

If you are contemplating or involved in divorce and you live in Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, or surrounding areas, contact Sandra Bonfiglio today to schedule a consultation and learn about how we can help. Simply having a knowledgeable attorney by your side to guide you through the process can make all the difference.