Marriage, Divorce and Children
...e the couple needs to acquire a marriage license. Once the marriage license is approved the couple can usually marry immediately. A marriage needs to take place through a ceremony known as solemnization. This is the official and formal time at which the two people are married and join together in the legal contract. The marriage has to be performed by someone who is legally ordained to perform the ceremony. Once the ceremony is over the couple are joined in the contract of marriage, which is permanent until death or divorce. Marriage is not that difficult to enter into, however getting out of a marriage is a lot more complicated. Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage contracted between a man and a woman, by the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, (Lectric Law). First to get divorce you need to have grounds, a reason for wanting to be divorced. There are two types of grounds for divorce, fault and no-fault. Adultery is a common reason for divorce. When a partner is being unfaithful there is a good cause to end the marriage. If one spouse is displaying unreasonable behavior and actions it is grounds for divorce. Violence and abuse are also grounds for a divorce. Abandonment for over six months is also a reason for divorce. No-fault divorce occurs when “neither spouse is considered responsible for the breakup of the marriage and neither spouse has to prove that the other spouse did something wrong,” (Legal-Database). The different types of no-fault divorce are irreconcilable differences, incompatibility, and irretrievable breakdown. If couples have been separated for more than one year voluntarily then they can file for a no-fault divorce. Involuntary or court ordered separation for more than two years can also be grounds for divorce. Sometimes states may require that a couple be legally separated for a period of time before obtaining a legal divorce. A divorce usually results in the equal division of the assets acquired during the marriage. This can range from property, income, cars, investments, etc. Equitable division excludes things such as inheritance or other personal property previously owned before the marriage. Most of what is considered are things that are in the name of both partners such as dual accounts and dual ownership of possessions and property. In the division of the property many things are considered to determine who gets what. Among things considered are income, fault of divorce, economic circumstances, property value, custodial arrangements, separation agreements, and conduct of the parties during the marriage. When one spouse does not have a job and had been domestic for a majority of the marriage they may require maintenance. This is compensation for the years that they spent at home and not being a productive member of society and for their future financial support. This is considered for people who were long time homemakers, have special needs or are some...