Divorce 

In developed countries[?], divorce rates have increased markedly during the twentieth century. Among the states in which divorce has become commonplace are the United States, Japan, Korea and members of the European Union. In U.S, Canada, the United Kingdom and other some other developed Commonwealth countries, this boom in divorce developed in the last half of the twentieth century, corresponding, more or less, with the abolition of such concepts as illegitimacy and the development of the equality of the sexes. In addition, acceptance of the single-parent family has resulted in many women deciding to have children outside marriage as there is little remaining social stigma attached to unwed mothers. The subject of divorce as a social phenomenon is an important research topic in sociology.

Some researchers argue that divorce rate doesn't always reflect actual interactions among people; that is, some countries may show a low divorce rate because, in such countries, people rarely get married in the first place. This heavily depends on cultural values and how the tax system affects married couples.

Women are generally the financial victims of divorce due to the lack of equal pay for equal work in many countries and the fact that many women give up employment after marriage to bring up children. They are often left with the burden of looking after the children after the divorce while having to find work in low-paid jobs. Child support collection is a major problem as many fathers do not accept that they have an obligation towards their children. Many national and local governments provide some kind of welfare system for divorced mothers and their children. See single mother for detail.

The term between divorce and remarriage varies depending on the country and the gender of the divorcee. In some countries, women need to wait longer than men before remarrying to avoid confusion about paternity. Children born after divorce may or may not be recognized as children of their father depending on the period between divorce and birth. In most common law jurisdictions there is a presumption that the child born during the marriage is the father's child, however this presumption can be overcome by identifying the putative father and bringing a paternity or affiliation proceeding. If the child was conceived before the divorce but born afterward this is the kind of grey area that jurists[?] enjoy litigating. If a man accepts the child as his own he may be declared the father by estoppel as the parens patrie[?] power of the court would rather the child have a male role model responsible for child support and other parental obligations rather than have the child grow up in a monoparental family.

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History of Divorce

Divorce in some jurisdictions is a relatively recent phenomenon. In Canada there was no divorce law until the 1960s. Before that the only way to get divorced was to apply to the Canadian Senate where a special committee would undertake an investigation of a request for a divorce and if they found that the request had merit, the marriage would be dissolved by an Act of Parliament.

Many countries in Europe, such as France prohibited divorce as it was not condoned by the Catholic church. Sometimes citizens would travel to other jurisdictions to obtain a divorce.

Religious/Cultural Attitudes to Divorce