Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Divorce in the United States - Statistics & Facts
Deciding to get a divorce in the United States signifies the start of a legal process to formally end one's marriage. Although divorce laws vary from state to state, there are two types of divorces recognized by the court in the United States: absolute divorce and limited divorce. The former requires some evidentiary proof of wrongdoing or misconduct on one spouse’s part, and results in judicial termination of the marriage. The latter refers to the termination of cohabitation rights, but the court withholds from dissolving the matrimony. Until 1857, divorce was an option that was only open to men. The new law gave women the possibility to divorce, but only in the case of proven adultery together with additional faults, such as cruelty or rape. Although new changes to the law came in the decades afterwards, the Divorce Reform Act from 1969 brought more significant changes as it allowed people to divorce with no proof of fault from any part.
