As predicted, no-fault divorce causing more pain, not less

News

When Parliament ushered in no-fault divorce three years ago, its champions promised an end to the “blame game”. The opposite has happened. Family solicitors now report that accusations of “bad behaviour” are being scattered through every stage of the process, inflaming rows over money and children. This is dragging cases out and driving up costs, all without affecting the legal outcome. “We are seeing more of this than under the old system”, says James Grigg, head of family law at HCR Law, in the Law Gazette’s latest review of the reforms.

Within three months of the new regime, divorce applications in England and Wales hit a record 33,566 – 99% of them under the no-fault rules and more than three-quarters filed unilaterally by one spouse. Official court statistics confirm a 22% initial surge in matrimonial cases in the same quarter.

Many of our supporters know first‑hand that some marriages break down despite everyone’s best efforts. Yet the overall picture remains clear and sobering. Adult children of divorce often describe the lasting tug‑of‑war of living between two homes and the emotional fall‑out that follows them into their own relationships. Large‑scale studies reach the same conclusion: Dr Jane Anderson’s review of almost thirty years of data found that, on average, children of divorced parents fare worse in physical health, emotional wellbeing and school performance than those whose parents stay married – even when the marriage is imperfect.

The State should therefore promote efforts to keep marriages together, not make it easier to tear them apart. Already, a majority of births in England and Wales (51.3% in 2021) occur outside marriage or civil partnership, a marker of growing family instability.

At C4M, we will continue to champion real marriage – one man, one woman, for life. It is the surest foundation for children and for society. We will press legislators to restore genuine safeguards that give couples space to reconcile before relationships are dissolved. Stable families build stronger, more resilient countries and societies. Thank you for standing with us as we encourage policies that strengthen real marriage.