The number of couples getting divorced is at the highest it has been in 5 years.
Nearly 108,000 male-female couples split in 2019 – that’s up by about a fifth from the previous year. For same-sex couples, the number of divorces has doubled at the same time.
The most common reason for divorce was unreasonable behaviour. The other options at the moment are adultery or desertion.
If both parties agree to divorce and have been separated for two years, they can get divorced. If it’s contested, the couple must have lived apart for five years. However, we expect this to change with no-fault divorces starting in April this year.
It’s now the law for divorcing couples to listen to information about mediation unless the relationship is violent. In addition to not being adversarial, mediation is much cheaper than two sets of lawyers. And a lot less unpleasant.