How Serious is Divorce in Alabama Anyway?

In the past twenty five years, a lot has been written about the pros and cons of divorce in United States society. Alabama is no exception. Laws concerning divorce have dramatically changed during this time. Unlike years in the past, Alabama has No-Fault divorces today. The process of getting divorced in some instances is as easy as signing an agreement by both parties. So, how serious is divorce anyway?

If you and your spouse haven’t lived as husband and wife for very long, you are without children, you have very little finances, and you have very few assets, divorce can be a viable alternative with minimal complications. Nevertheless, there still exists the potential for emotional and psychological turmoil that can have long term consequences to one or both of the party’s psychic. In our society, right or wrong, much of a woman’s success is measured by acquiring a mate capable of sustaining a marital relationship. In many cases, both the man and the woman’s self worth is tied to whether or not a marriage is successful. If this is so, then, why do we get divorced?

There are many factors for two married adults to come to the conclusion their marriage is irretrievably broken. Some of these contributing factors are:

• Poor communication- the personalities and education of a married couple are often times different. The words you may use can often times be misunderstood by your spouse, and the conflict resulting from misunderstanding can cause ongoing stress.

• Financial problems- we all have basic fundamental needs to survive like food, shelter, clothing, medical assistance, and transportation, and they all cost money. When you are deprived of these basic necessities, problems will arise that are very stress related.

• A lack of commitment to the marriage- marriage is a contract between two people requiring hard work, commitment, social skills, and determination. When you lack any of these characteristics or fail to see marriage for what it really is, stress is sure to follow.

• A dramatic change in priorities- having children, a loss of your job, a move from your home, a need for a fresh change can all contribute to changing your marital priorities and can bring unwanted stress.

• Spiritual differences- when you and your spouse have religious differences, your outlook and attitude about marriage, children, sex, family, and work may be different. As a result these differences can create stress through the conflicts of misunderstandings.

• Sexual differences- with the invention of the internet, sexual awareness seems to be at an all time high. When you or your spouse have different opinions about sex, your differences can cause stress in the bedroom, a place that should be for gratification and relief.

• Infidelity- when you or your spouse are unhappy in your relationship, being unfaithful to the contract can create not only mistrust but monumental stress as well.

• Abuse- both psychological and physical abuse from a dominating spouse within a marriage can contribute to long lasting stress related problems.

Stress, created by a variety of circumstances, seems to be the overwhelming culprit causing divorce. You might think solving the dilemma could occur by simply managing stress, either through medication or seeing a counselor. Nevertheless, many have undergone counseling and taken prescribed medications, but they still want a divorce. So, what has been the results of almost 50% of the marriages in the United States ending in divorce?

Thirty years of study found that the decline of the two-parent, married-couple family results in poverty, educational failure, unhappiness, anti-social behavior, isolation, emotional problems, and social exclusion for thousands of women and men. Especially affected, are the children of divorce. (“Experiments in Living: The Fatherless Family”, Rebecca O’Neill, September 2002, Institute for the Study of Civil Society.)

Research shows that 63 percent of youth suicides, 90 percent of all runaway children, 85 percent of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders, 80 percent of rapes motivated with displaced anger, 71 percent of all high school dropouts, and 85 percent of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes or men of fatherless homes. Other researchers found that the younger the child is at the time of the divorce the greater the impact. Note that, currently, nearly two of every five children in America do not live with their fathers (“Children of Divorce and Separation Statistics – Consequences of Father Absence”, April 11, 2001, published by Fathers for Life.)

So, how serious is divorce? Very serious, and on top of that, legally complicated. If you are considering divorce, please seek out professional legal help. Contact us right now at www.divorceattorneyhome.com, and we will locate a divorce lawyer in your area that can provide you with the legal answers you are seeking.