Curious History

Curious History

The Heartbreaking History of Divorce…..!

While divorce possibly does not have the same disgrace associated with it as it once had, the divorce is still a sensitive topic in many parts of the world. Indeed, divorce attorneys make a lot of effort to make the divorce process simpler for their clientele. It is not easy to go through a divorce without trouble.

A brief history of divorce

People used to think that marriages are made in heaven. Then, how divorce came into existence? Who asked for the first divorce? Why divorce laws are made? When did divorce become legal? Well, societal changes in gender roles factors, economics, mobility, and morality take their toll on marital relationships and people opted for the legal separation procedure i.e. divorce.

The History Of Divorce Laws

During colonial times, mutual separation and abandonment were popular methods of ending a marriage. Later, complicated issues such as –property distribution and child custody got linked to marriage termination. This gives rise to the need for systematic procedures that can separate two people by all fair means.

The divorce was a hot topic during colonial times as well. One of the oldest instances of divorce is from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1929, the judicial tribunal dealt with the first divorce. This legislative body granted divorces on the basis of desertion, adultery, bigamy, and impotence.

After 1776, divorce laws became less restrictive. Divorce hearings took the legislature away. During that time women were considered as non-legal entities, so they were not liable to claim the ownership of financial assets. Then, women’s property acts went under rectification in 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries.  All these rectifications had not done anything in favor of women.

The divorce became common during the 20th Century. In 1887, Congress demanded the first compilation of divorce statistics to see how big the problem had become. In the 1920’s trial marriage law was introduced, which allows couples to try marriage before actually getting married. During the trial marriage period spouses need not have to make any long-term financial commitments or relationship commitments. It was just like two opposite sex living together. This was done in an attempt to keep minimize the divorce percentage.

As the years rolled by, family laws were composed. In 1950, the Family court system came into existence. Couples were allowed to hire divorce lawyers to represent their case in the court.

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