What Is Divorce?

Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage.  Rates of divorce have skyrocketed during the last 100 years as the stigma of divorce and social consequences have waned.  In the recent past, one of the parties had to show legal fault by the other party to be granted a divorce.  Today no-fault divorce is allowed in every state making divorce a simple mutually agreed to process.

Many women are also opting to have children outside of marriage as the single-parent family has become widely accepted.  Today the stigma of being an unwed or divorced mother has all but disappeared.

Children born in common law marriages are presumed to be the husband's child.  However, if this is not actually the case, a paternity proceeding can absolve the husband of parental and financial responsibilities to the child.  If a child is conceived before divorce and born afterwards litigation may be required to prove parental responsibility.

Divorce is a legal action that must be accomplished by judicial procedure.  The parties can tentatively agree upon the the disposition of community property and other matters but the court will have the final word with regards to the divorce, property settlement, child custody and visitation, and the amount of alimony and child support payments to be made by the parties.  A pre-marital agreement can provide some protection to assets that were acquired before the marriage.  In some cases the court will permit "family mediation" to arrive at a less contested means of settling a divorce and resolving issues.

Men who have divorced are referred to as a divorcé while a divorced woman is a divorcée.

Divorce Best Sellers from Amazon.com

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and In...
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Amazon Price: $9.00
Customer Review: Joanne Scaglione, Author Living The Secret Everyday: My Secret Workbook

Yes, this is probably one of my favorites. Elizabeth Gilbert is a very talented writer who knows how to keep her readers interest. I so could relate to her search an...

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Cou...
by John M. Gottman, Nan Silver
Amazon Price: $10.17
Customer Review: I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a lot of insight and calmed my fears about relationships over 45.

The Professional Bachelor Dating Guide - How to Exploit Her Inner Psycho
by Brett Tate
Amazon Price: $15.83
Customer Review: I bought the book and enjoyed reading it.
I will be very brief for other reviews have already mentioned in detail the facts about this book.
I like and love women. I found this book insightfull on the other aspects of women we do some tim...

Split: A Memoir of Divorce
by Suzanne Finnamore
Amazon Price: $16.47
Customer Review: I could not put this book down. Finnamore brings the utter angst, grief and full gamut of emotions one experiences when getting divorced in this wonderful memoir. I look forward to reading her novels and wish her the best.

The Great Divorce
by C. S. Lewis
Amazon Price: $10.36
Customer Review: Lewis begins The Great Divorce by talking about Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, a marriage which Lewis finds impossible. Heaven and Hell must be divorced and all of his readers considering one or the other as an ultimate destination must re...


Newsfeed display by CaRP

Divorce News

• Prosecutor: Debt, Divorce Led To Excops Murder Attempt WBAY Green Bay
Associated Press May 16, 2008 7:05 PM ET SHAWANO, Wis. AP A prosecutor says the pressure of debt and divorce led a former Wausau police officer to try to kill his wife.
• Prosecutor: Debt, Divorce Led To ExOfficers Murder Attempt WISCTV Madison
SHAWANAO, Wis. A prosecutor said the pressure of debt and divorce led a former Wausau police officer to try to kill his wife. Assistant Attorney General Dennis Krueger told a jury that Chueng Lee, 46, had insurance on his estranged wife that he would have collected if she died.
• Prosecutor: Debt, Divorce Led To Excops Murder Attempt WKBT La Crosse
SHAWANO, Wis. AP A prosecutor says the pressure of debt and divorce led a former Wausau police officer to try to kill his wife. Assistant attorney general Dennis Krueger told a jury that Chueng Lee had insurance on his estranged wife that he would have collected if she died.
• Shania Twain To Divorce MTV UK
Subtitle Shania Twain and Husband Robert Mutt Lange Divorce Related Video shania twain, divorce, robert mutt lange, shania twain songs Subject Matter shania twain, divorce, robert mutt lange, shania twain songs Short body mobile/iTV 320 chars or so, no HTML or internal links Body Shania Twain and her husband, producer Robert Mutt Lange, have filed for
• Hes Dirt Poor, McGreevey Tells Divorce Judge The Philadelphia Inquirer
ELIZABETH, N.J. Saying his infamous resignation and marital split have ruined his potential to earn a living, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey tried to persuade a Union County divorce judge yesterday that he is too poor to pay alimony to his estranged wife.