Why is so easy to marry and so complex to divorce?

[SophisticatedWoman]

Obviously it is difficult and complex to divide finances and agree custody of children. Why is it made so easy to enter into a marriage without any legal guidance.

I don't think you should be 'made' to get financial advice/education before marriage, but that's probably because I'm a geek and I'd made sure I knew what I was getting into practically, not just the lovey dovey stuff. I'm fed up to the back teeth with people doing grown up serious stuff without due diligence and then blaming others "but nobody told me" if it goes tits up.

People need to take responsibility for the own actions.

Because marriage is a serious commitment you don't just go into all will nill without thinking things through properly.

@CaroleSinger The thing is you can enter into marriage without really thinking much about it. All you need is to be at least 16, not presently married, entering into it freely with the capacity to consent. I’m not sure the state should be adding other conditions. That is, I suppose, open to debate. Getting out of a marriage, on the other hand, well, that is a bit more difficult.

What legal guidance do you think should be in place to make marriage harder?

Most of those things are totally optional and not remotely necessary for any kind of marriage.

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts , exactly they aren’t, but they bring a warming glow of smugness to Roses, something many of us have encountered before.

Ah, I missed the username

Marriage is a legal contract.

Any legal contract is easy to get into but complex if you want to breach the contract.

Marriage is something people have done almost since humans came along. Despite all the complexities of modern society, the only things that have changed are minimum ages, where you can hold the ceremony, and in the last decade, that it can be between two women or two men.

The law assumes the same option to marry if both persons are single, regardless of the age of each person, if they have been married before or not, and does not require any period of notice of any length. The man (usually but not always) who dumps his wife when aged over 40, then re-marries, and then repeats the same behaviour, is treated when it comes to marrying as two people aged the same who have never been married.

If it was me, there would be some different requirements and notice period where there is a significant difference in ages and/or wealth. If it could be done, also on previous behaviour.

@LlynTegid But should the state be able to intervene to that extent, when the parties involved have the base legal competence to enter into a marriage? On what basis? You don’t, for undefined reasons, actually have competence to contact a marriage, not due to mental impairment, but various extraneous matter? How would that work? Adults, whether you like it or not, surely must broadly be left to make their own choices, live their own lives.

@coffeecupsandwaxmelts @midsomermurderess thank you for your comments and observations. Of course non of those things are obligatory for marriage per se but they certainly are if the marriage is to have a fighting chance of being successful. Marriage is sacrosanct and involves promises made before God.

Did Jesus demand you kiss some frogs? Sounds kinda creepy tbh.

Agreed! We’d have remained unmarried if we had to marry in a church! Big hotel wedding for us - after 25 years still going strong!

Maybe because marriage is supposed to be for life. Why even get married?

I think it depends on circumstances?
My sister and her ex husband divorced about four years ago their kids were then 15 and 17 so almost grown they found it relatively easy he divorced her on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour which we did accept ,and they had a very large house with a decent amount of equity which they sp!it she got a smaller property which she bought outright and he got a bigger property with a loan from his parents,
there was no animosity regarding where their boys lived boy
the younger one decided to live with his dad and the older one was going to university,but regards is mum's house as home,when he's on holiday from uni,it's fairly amicable.

She did accept*