Splitting Up, But In It Together: Divorce In 2020

WAMU 88.5

Published January 21, 2020 at 10:06 AM CST

Gwyneth Paltrow famously described her divorce with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin as "conscious uncoupling." How has the way we get divorced changed?

Is January actually “Divorce Month?” Well, the facts are complicated.

But regardless of when it happens, the way divorce happens is changing. More couples are turning to mediation. Long and complex court cases are less common. And arrangements like half-and-half child custody are becoming more popular.

A member of the 1A Text Club says:

I was divorced in 2003 after being married to my high school sweetheart for 11 years. The divorce part itself was rather simple. But with three kids between us, that was the easy part. My current husband and I have a saying (he is also a divorcée): “Divorce — the gift that keeps on giving.” My current husband and I had a few hard years and, honestly, the memories of my divorce kept me married.

Another member of the 1A Text Club says they’re “of the evolving opinion that we may need to re-figure what marriage can and should be legally. Not sure what that is [though].”

What does it mean to have a divorce in 2020? Are there ways to make the process gentler for all parties involved?

Produced by Stacia Brown.

GUESTS

Philip Cohen, Professor of sociology at the University of Maryland College Park; @familyunequal

Jacqueline Newman, Managing partner of the divorce law firm Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein, LLP and author of “The New Rules of Divorce: Twelve Secrets to Protecting Your Wealth, Health, and Happiness”; @NYCDivorce_Atty

Lyz Lenz, Author, editor, and columnist at the Cedar Rapids Gazette; @lyzl

For more, visit https://the1a.org.