Divorce still carries a stigma - study

If we, the adults, cannot cope with divorce, how can we expect our children to?

If we, the adults, cannot cope with divorce, how can we expect our children to?

Published Mar 26, 2014

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London - Couples who divorce still feel a sense of shame and failure, a study has found.

Even in the age of the fault-free divorce and the pre-nup, almost half of those who go through a marriage break-up believe their lives are damaged by the stigma.

Women are twice as likely as men to feel shame after divorce, the report said. Nearly a third of divorcees tried to stave off the break-up for as long as they could because they believe a marriage should be for ever, it found.

The research carried out for law firm Slater and Gordon indicates that traditional views of marriage remain strongly entrenched despite decades of steady erosion of the privileges and legal status that once went with it.

It also found that those who go through divorce agree with the widespread perception that divorce does them harm.

Among 1 000 divorced people questioned, the average time it took for them to feel their lives were emotionally “back on track” was close to four years.

The survey comes at a time when divorce rates have fallen to their lowest levels in 40 years. Couples are marrying at an older age and the drop in divorce suggests they are more committed to staying together.

The survey said that 46 percent of those who do divorce feel they face “daily judgement from people because their marriage has failed”. - Daily Mail

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