This is the most common ground that married couples cite to legally end their unions
The proportion of divorces granted on the grounds of 'unreasonable behaviour' has grown considerably.
By PTI |
Agencies
LONDON: 'Unreasonable behaviour' is the most common ground that married couples cite to legally end their unions, a study conducted in the UK has found.
Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed the changes in the main 'facts' that husbands and wives give for petitioning for divorce, since the UK Divorce Reform Act 1969 was implemented in 1971.
The Act made the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage the sole ground for divorce, which can be established by 'proving' one or more 'facts' - though the 'fact' is not necessarily the cause of the breakdown.
In addition to 'fault-based' facts, which imply blame: 'unreasonable behaviour,' adultery and desertion, the Act introduced two new innovative, 'no-fault' separation facts; one of two years' separation with both parties agreeing to divorce, and the other of five years' separation without agreement.
Plenty of celebrities have been on the wrong end of a costly divorce settlement. Though each of those settlements were worth tens of millions of dollars, they pale in comparison to the most expensive divorce settlements of all time.
(On the left, Rupert Murdoch and on the right, Bernie Ecclestone)
It was originally hoped that these 'no-fault' facts would account for most divorces, but, despite an initial uptake, this has not proven to be the case, researchers said.
Over time, people's use of the law for legally ending their unions has changed considerably, with the fault-based fact of 'unreasonable behaviour' most used in recent years, and desertion the least, they said.
John Haskey, an Associate Fellow at Oxford, found that after 1971, the facts used most frequently to get a divorce were 'fault' based - 'unreasonable behaviour' for wives, and adultery for husbands.
Meghan Markle enters the British royal family in drastically different circumstances from the last American to join: Wallis Simpson, a name that still sends shivers through Buckingham Palace.
Although both US divorcees, the times have changed so dramatically that while Simpson's presence threatened to bring down the monarchy, Markle is seen as a figure who can revitalise it in the 21st century.
And the shadow of 1936 will be impossible to ignore when Markle and Harry tie the knot on May 19.
However, since 1991 there has been a modest growth in the relative importance of both the separation facts, for divorces granted to both husbands and wives, researchers said.
Divorces granted to wives citing adultery peaked in 1987 at 25 per cent, and at 45 per cent of those awarded to husbands, they said.
However, both proportions fell substantially to 11 per cent in 2016. In the case of husbands, this trend was counterbalanced by the growth in the proportion of divorces on 'unreasonable behaviour'.
The proportion of divorces granted on the grounds of 'unreasonable behaviour' has grown considerably, according to the researchers.
Of divorces granted to wives, the proportion awarded on 'unreasonable behaviour' has trebled from 17 per cent in 1971 to 51 per cent in 2016, they said.
For divorces granted to husbands, the corresponding change has been even more dramatic, from having been the least used fact in 1971 to the most used in 2016 (from two per cent to 36 per cent of husbands' divorces).
Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed the changes in the main 'facts' that husbands and wives give for petitioning for divorce, since the UK Divorce Reform Act 1969 was implemented in 1971.
The Act made the irretrievable breakdown of a marriage the sole ground for divorce, which can be established by 'proving' one or more 'facts' - though the 'fact' is not necessarily the cause of the breakdown.
In addition to 'fault-based' facts, which imply blame: 'unreasonable behaviour,' adultery and desertion, the Act introduced two new innovative, 'no-fault' separation facts; one of two years' separation with both parties agreeing to divorce, and the other of five years' separation without agreement.
(On the left, Rupert Murdoch and on the right, Bernie Ecclestone)
It was originally hoped that these 'no-fault' facts would account for most divorces, but, despite an initial uptake, this has not proven to be the case, researchers said.
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Over time, people's use of the law for legally ending their unions has changed considerably, with the fault-based fact of 'unreasonable behaviour' most used in recent years, and desertion the least, they said.
John Haskey, an Associate Fellow at Oxford, found that after 1971, the facts used most frequently to get a divorce were 'fault' based - 'unreasonable behaviour' for wives, and adultery for husbands.
Although both US divorcees, the times have changed so dramatically that while Simpson's presence threatened to bring down the monarchy, Markle is seen as a figure who can revitalise it in the 21st century.
And the shadow of 1936 will be impossible to ignore when Markle and Harry tie the knot on May 19.
However, since 1991 there has been a modest growth in the relative importance of both the separation facts, for divorces granted to both husbands and wives, researchers said.
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Divorces granted to wives citing adultery peaked in 1987 at 25 per cent, and at 45 per cent of those awarded to husbands, they said.
However, both proportions fell substantially to 11 per cent in 2016. In the case of husbands, this trend was counterbalanced by the growth in the proportion of divorces on 'unreasonable behaviour'.
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The proportion of divorces granted on the grounds of 'unreasonable behaviour' has grown considerably, according to the researchers.
Of divorces granted to wives, the proportion awarded on 'unreasonable behaviour' has trebled from 17 per cent in 1971 to 51 per cent in 2016, they said.
For divorces granted to husbands, the corresponding change has been even more dramatic, from having been the least used fact in 1971 to the most used in 2016 (from two per cent to 36 per cent of husbands' divorces).
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