AUSTRALIA has joined a growing list of countries including New Zealand and the United States where couples have found themselves without a partner in their lives after divorces.
In the US, a legal issue has prompted many couples to find themselves in limbo for years after a separation.
The Supreme Court ruled in May that it was OK to dissolve a marriage in order to get on with life, meaning many couples are now finding themselves without the support of a spouse to complete their lives.
“It’s kind of a big deal to have a partner for the rest of your life,” one couple told ABC Radio Australia’s Four Corners.
“It’s a big change.”
But in Australia, it is a situation that many of us would find impossible.
“I think it’s just a big burden to have to go through all the grief and the stress and the fear of a new relationship and then a divorce,” one of the couple, a father of three, told Four Cornrs.
“There’s not a lot of support systems in Australia for couples that don’t have a relationship and have to deal with a lot more of the pain of a divorce.”
While there are no official figures for how many people have been living in limbo, many say the number of people in their 30s or 40s without a significant relationship is on the rise.
“A lot of the couples I know are in this position because of the recession,” one woman told Four Corrs.
“I’ve had to go back to work in the middle of the night to get things done and then go back on my first date to find out my partner was in the other room.”
The recession has also seen a huge increase in the number and severity of domestic violence cases.
While the number is still relatively small, some women are struggling to deal.
“When we went to the court, there were a lot less people because of it,” one man said.
In New Zealand, there are more than 50,000 cases of domestic abuse a year, and the number continues to grow.
“In some places, it’s probably higher than the average for the country,” the man said of the violence.
The most common reasons given for divorces in New Zealand are domestic violence and the breakdown of a relationship.
There is also a significant stigma attached to a divorce, which is not uncommon for women in the community, according to the NZ Bureau of Statistics.
“If we are separated for a long period of time, the stigma is not necessarily gone, it will be a bit more pronounced and maybe a little more visible,” one domestic violence advocate told Four Corner.
But the most common reason for divorce in New Zeland, New Zealand is domestic violence.
In New South Wales, about 6 per cent of couples have lost their marriage in the past year, according a 2013 survey by the New South Welsh Council.
The NSW Department of Family and Community Services says the number has gone up in recent years, from 4 per cent in 2011 to 6 per day in 2012.
“The numbers are up but we are still struggling to get our heads around it,” a spokesman said.
“We are a family-based jurisdiction, and we are dealing with the pressures of the economy and the financial pressures of a growing population.”
We are doing everything we can to ensure we are supporting everyone who wants to get married.
“But while domestic violence is an issue in many parts of the country, it has never been a problem in Australia.”
Topics:courts-and-trials,law-crime-and.justice,families,family-and and-children,marriage,courts,family,health,marriage-and/or-life,family law,nsw,australiaFirst posted March 03, 2020 09:53:16Contact Sam CarterMore stories from New South Walsall”
There is no research to suggest that domestic abuse or domestic violence leads to long-lasting problems or mental health problems.”
Topics:courts-and-trials,law-crime-and.justice,families,family-and and-children,marriage,courts,family,health,marriage-and/or-life,family law,nsw,australiaFirst posted March 03, 2020 09:53:16Contact Sam CarterMore stories from New South Walsall
