Before the introduction of no-fault divorce in the 1970s, divorce in the United States and many other developed countries could be a difficult process. Back then it was necessary for one of the spouses to be guilty of some kind of evil, such as adultery. If it was not about any crime, it was necessary to pretend that something had happened. Fortunately, the laws have changed, but there is still a lot of variation in divorce laws around the world.
There are still many countries where divorce is not legally recognized. Although most of the world’s industrialized countries allow divorce, there are some surprising exceptions. For example, it is much more difficult to get divorced in Ireland than in most other Western European countries: divorce was only possible in 1995, and even two spouses must be separated for four of the last five years before they can get divorced.
In Pakistan, although divorce is a legally recognized practice, the laws are designed to discourage divorce as much as possible. As a result, the divorce process is longer and more complex than in most of the industrialized world. Rather than simply present some documents, the husband must declare his divorce from her in front of witnesses and send written notices to the government and to his wife. The spouses must then wait at least 90 days and appear before an arbitration council before it can be final.
Divorce laws in Japan are very permissive and similar to those in most of the Western world. Notably, divorce in Japan does not require any official legal approval. Two spouses only need to consent to the divorce for it to be enacted – no lawyers, courts or arbitration need to be involved. As in other industrialized countries, two spouses only need to complete one form with two witnesses and send it to the local registry.
If you and your spouse live in the United States, you have the option of getting a no-fault divorce. No-fault divorces are a quick and easy way to end a broken marriage, giving both of you a chance to start anew.