The Coalition for Marriage (C4M) has lamented the latest divorce figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) stating that every broken marriage represents “another family torn in two, with children in many cases now facing a future of absent parents and broken homes”.
The figures, released in July, revealed that in 2023 over 100,000 opposite-sex marriages ended in divorce.
While the figures were up from the previous year, the ONS noted that this was expected as 2023 was the first full year of data following the introduction of “no-fault” divorce legislation in 2022.
In 2022, just nine per cent of divorces were processed under the new legislation, a figure that rose drastically to 74 per cent in 2023.
In apparently good news, divorce rates are arguably at historic lows, with the 2023 figure being the third lowest since 1971. However, it should be noted that this may be simply because people are not getting married in the first place - marriage rates are half of what they were 50 years ago.
Before the new legislation came into effect, divorce could only be granted in cases of adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion or separation for two years with consent or five years without consent.
Some pro-marriage campaigners actually welcomed the new legislation on the grounds that it makes divorce a less drawn out and destructive process.
While the new laws require spouses to spend 20 weeks reflecting on their decision, it is no longer necessary to either place the blame on one partner or wait out a two-year separation period.
Harry Benson, Research Director at the Marriage Foundation said, “These figures are also a repudiation of those who prophesied a massive increase in the divorce rate, by removing blame from the divorce system - those fears were unfounded as many campaigners, like Marriage Foundation and family lawyers Resolution said at the time."
The Coalition for Marriage disagrees with this conclusion: "In spite of the increase in the number of divorces, supporters of the no-fault reforms have claimed the new figures show the feared surge in divorces did not materialise.
"But that’s a hasty conclusion, given the marked rise in 2023 against a backdrop of falling marriage rates. As the new fast-track, unilateral, no-fault route becomes normalised, we would expect to see divorces settling at a higher rate in the coming years."
It added, "The latest reforms have shifted the culture from mending marriages to dissolving them. The surge in divorces in 2023 is anything but encouraging.
"At C4M, we believe the state should be doing what it can to help families stay together, not rushing to break them apart."
