Number of divorces rise for the first time since 2003 | Winston Solicitors
Legal news

Number of divorces rise for the first time since 2003

Jonathan Winston Jonathan Winston
2 min read

The Office for National Statistics have released their latest statistics relating to divorce in England and Wales. The statistics record divorces which took place in 2010 following court orders, in England and Wales, and do not include divorces to couples usually living in England and Wales, but who have divorced abroad.

The number of divorces in England and Wales rose by 4.9 per cent in 2010 to 119,589 compared with 113,949 in 2009. This is the first annual increase since 2003. The number of divorces in 2010 was highest among men and women aged 40 to 44.

The average length of marriage is unchanged from 2009 at 11.4 years. Half of couples divorcing in 2010 had at least one child aged under 16 living in the family.

Civil Partnership dissolutions have also increased in 2010. This is likely to be part of an overall upward trend given that this type of partnership is new, and the numbers of those in civil partnerships is increasing.

The rise in the overall divorce rate in 2010 is likely to be attributable to a number of factors. Overall, the size of the married population is falling, with an ever increasing number of couples choosing to cohabit rather than marry. Some believe that 40% of all children living in England and Wales do not live with parents who are married. The fall in the marriage rate isn’t the only factor though, and there is an overall underlying trend of an increase in divorces in 2010. This may in part also be associated with the current economic climate although the impact of the recession is likely to vary across different social groups. To some, dissolving a marriage in a harsh economic climate is financially impossible, involving lawyers, negative equity in housing, and lower incomes from which to support two households. To others social research has shown that unemployment and downturns in the housing market may be associated with family instability and couples being unable to cope with added financial worry.

The most common reason for divorce remains for both men and women, behaviour that the other finds unreasonable. 66% of divorces granted in 2010 were initiated by women.

Client feedback

We couldn’t recommend Samantha Robertson-Strong enough. She made the whole process of buying our first property so much easier and would recommend her to people I know.Thanks Again Samantha and the Winstons team!
Mr Atherton
Joe and Amr were good at keeping contact and answering my questions as a first time buyer. The solicitor on the other side of the purchase was not always responsive, though Joe/Amr made sure to keep chasing which I appreciated. Overall smooth process and would recommend.
Amber
Absolutely incredible! Exceeded all expectations, very professional.
Michael
It is probably 45+ years since I last bought a house so it was a real re-learning process. Michelle was helpful and pateint throughout. She kept me fully informed of the prgress being made and all the responses from her enquiries to the other party were detailed. Both sides were under pressure to complete before April when further tax increases loomed. It was also the pressure that I would be heading to France to oversee the sale of my property. The only 'blip' that I saw was the query of my funding. It was simply the transfer of the funds from the sale of my home in France to cover the sale in Leeds. This was accepted. I had requested Sterling and not Euros and perhaps that did raise an eyebrow or two. I would have no rpblem in recommending Winstons.
Roger
Outstanding from start to finish. Leasa was fabulous, professional and thorough throughout. Would highly recommend to anyone. We honestly cannot Thankyou enough for getting us into our family home.
Natalie
Winston solicitors are experts at what they do. They go above and beyond the normal service to provide you with the best interest for you. I cannot thank Emily for her commitment and resilience on answering every question i had asked. She is a great assest ti Winston solicitors and a credit to her team. I would love to work with Emily again in the furture if required to do so. Would not hesiste to reccommend winston solicitors to everyone.
Ishtiaq
Amazing service from Sidraa with support from Tom. Timely communication, easy to deal with and thorough. Sidraa went over and above to meet our deadlines and was so personable to deal with. Would 100% recommend.
Sophie
Both Samantha and Michelle at Winstons Solicitors have been brilliant keeping us informed with the selling and buying of our houses. If there were any problems they explained what was happening and also put our minds at rest.... as moving is stressful enough.will definitley use again in the future as we were impressed with the company and service.
Craig
Contact Jonathan