Divorce is, unfortunately, a common aspect of modern living – though there are arguments to suggest that the option of divorce makes for healthier and more autonomous lives, there is no escaping the fact that the breakdown of a marriage is a painful and challenging thing. 

According to recent statistics, women are 69% more likely to initiate a divorce than men. This statistic illustrates the growing autonomy of women, and simultaneously hints at the misogynist undercurrent to many heterosexual marriages. If divorce is now the only option for you, it is important to recognise the challenging road ahead for what it is; with this in mind, what are the biggest challenges presented by divorce?

Heartbreak, and Adjusting to a New Normal

Divorce is a heart-breaking thing. This is true regardless the circumstances, reasons for divorce, initiating party or surrounding variables – and is true regardless how liberating and joyful your divorce might be. It is the end of something, and no matter how painful or otherwise awful that thing is, there are complex emotional elements to going through divorce proceedings.

In an amicable divorce, there is the matter of breaking the news to your extended family and in-laws, which might have reverberating impacts through both families. For acrimonious divorces born of harmful behaviour and experience, the process itself is a heart-breaking one by virtue of the trauma you may have to relive. These are major challenges, to say nothing of cultural differences that can colour the experience dramatically in different ways.

These challenges are not so easily met by any one solution, but recognising the inherent emotional difficulty to proceeding with divorce is the first step. Support networks are vital for this reason, whether you lean on your family or close friends with each new challenge.

Financial Matters

The emotional turmoil of divorce is absolutely one of the most important things to address overall, but there are tangible elements that require your attention, and which can provide key challenges as you progress. These challenges are greater for partnerships that are dissolving after a long period of time together, sharing resources and making financial decisions together.

It is here that your choice of legal counsel becomes crucial. With the right advice and representation on a separation , you can build the best possible case for splitting your shared estate between one another. Bank accounts are simple enough, but belongings can pose difficulty without compromise.

Children

Lastly, we come to perhaps the most important part of any divorce proceedings where families are involved – and the biggest challenge for parent divorcees to face. Agreeing on custodial arrangements of children can often be bitterly fought, where each party affirms their own right to accessing and taking care of their children.

The legal side of this is nowhere near the only challenge. There is also the communication with the children themselves about what next steps and their new life look like, to say nothing of their own wishes and demands on the matter.

Divorce is not an easy thing, which ever way you slice it. But by recognising these challenges early, and preparing accordingly, you can make half the battle that little bit easier.