Official data has shown that the number of couples getting divorced is the lowest since 1971. In 2022, there were 80,057 divorces granted in England and Wales, representing a 29.5 percent decrease from 2021. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) reported divorce rates of 6.7 for men and 6.6 for women per 1,000 of the married population.
The report also recorded a 22.8 percent decrease in the number of civil partnership dissolutions compared to 2021, with 525 civil partnership dissolutions. The median duration of marriages that ended in divorce was 12.9 years for opposite-sex couples. For same-sex couples, marriages lasted 7.5 and 6.3 years for male and female couples, respectively.
For the first time, ONS data included divorce and dissolution rates under the new law that came into effect in April 2022. The law set a 20-week “cooling off” period and eliminated the “blame game” by removing the requirement to state grounds for divorce. Out of the total figure, 9.2 percent of opposite-sex divorces and 10.3 percent of dissolutions were granted under the new act. In same-sex couples, 15.4 percent of divorces were granted after the change in legislation, with 69 percent being granted to female couples.
A national mediation charity has warned that divorce statistics do not account for couples who live together and have children without getting married. The CEO of the National Family Mediation, Sarah Hawkins, stated that more couples are unable to afford to separate due to the cost-of-living crisis. She called on the government to continue the mediation voucher scheme, which allows couples to access up to £500 worth of mediation services.