Getting married can be a wonderful and beautiful thing – and at the time of the wedding, it usually is. But not all marriages will work out here in the United States for any number of different reasons. As anyone who has provided a mediation service for a divorcing couple likely knows, divorces, like just about everything else in this world, come in all different shapes and sizes.
For instance, more than 19% of all divorces happen simply because of incompatibility. Sometimes, two people just grow apart with the years and begin to look for different things out of life. Sometimes, these things can be worked through and overcome, but this is unfortunately not always the case. In addition to this, divorces often have more serious causes as well. For instance, more than 10% of all divorces seen here in the United States can be attributed to drugs and drinking, often on the part of one partner in the marriage but sometimes seen in both parties as well. Addiction can be a huge reason that two people seek to end a marriage, as it can be devastating not only for the addict themselves, but for everyone around them as well.
Of course, the biggest cause of divorce is that of infidelity, which currently leads to more than 21.5% of divorces seen here in the United States, let alone elsewhere in the world at large. Cheating can easily lead to the end of a marriage, though many couples will first pursue measures like couples’ therapy before filing for a divorce. However, even in cases where counseling is sought (and half of all couples’ counseling can be attributed to infidelity on behalf of one or both parties in the marriage), divorce is often imminent regardless.
And there are certainly many more reasons behind divorce as well. Even just one party in the marriage smoking while the other does not can up the couples’ chances of getting divorced by as much as 75%. Certain professions – including some that you might be somewhat surprised about – can actually increase the chances of getting divorced as well. And, of course, simple differences can also lead to a divorce. In addition to this, so too can things like getting engaged too early on in the relationship as well as a lack of higher education on behalf of both parties in the divorce.
But no matter what the cause behind the divorce, the process of the divorce can certainly be a difficult one, especially if there are children involved. The presence of children in the marriage can make things all the more complicated – and all the more contentious. In such cases, having a mediation service come in to mitigate some of the larger problems being disced in the divorce proceedings can be a hugely helpful step indeed, as this mediation service can serve as a neutral ground, so to speak.
Still, family law issues are often quite complex, especially if both parents are gunning for full custody. In fact, the use of a mediation service after filing divorce papers is hugely common when deciding custody has become a factor and in fact the average mediation service actually even helps to decide nearly 30% of all custody decisions in the wake of divorce. Family law attorneys can also help to make this process as smooth as is possible, as can more general divorce lawyers.
Sometimes, however, the use of a mediation service will not be enough. If matters of custody can’t be decided upon even when a mediation service is present, the case might need to be seen before a judge. Fortunately, this is relatively few of all custody cases seen in conjunction with divorces, making up actually less than 5% of all custody cases here in the United States. However, it’s good for many couples to know this is an option – as well as knowing why deciding custody through mediation services is often far more ideal than the alternative of actually going into court and having a judge decided on the matter instead.
