The divorce rate has declined to a 30-year-low in the U.K., reports the Daily Mail. But the marriage rate has also declined significantly, so it’s wise not to interpret the first trend as simply a recovery of traditional views about family and commitment. Many of those who might in the past have divorced after several years of marriage are now foregoing matrimony in the first place. And then there’s the financial angle:
There was speculation that high divorce settlements may have dissuaded men from divorce. Spectacular recent cases include those of Beverley Charman, awarded £48 million of her husband John’s fortune in May, and Melissa Miller, who won £5 million of her husband Alan’s £30 million wealth even though her marriage lasted only three years and there were no children.
But some analysts said that if high settlements had put men off divorce, they would have encouraged women in favour of divorce.
Robert Whelan of the Civitas think tank said: ‘High divorce settlements are a reason for men not to get married, not a reason for them to steer clear of divorce.’