Divorce | Pennsylvania Family Law Blog - The Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz - Part 10
“Women Unchained”: Jewish Women Denied a Religious Divorce by their Husband
Beverly Siegel, a Chicago-based filmmaker, made a documentary about Jewish women whose husbands refuse to grant them a religious divorce, known as a GET. The film, entitled “Women Unchained,” explores this phenomenon, which occurs because in traditional Judaism a husband may withhold a divorce. If this happens, the women seeking the divorce are then considered agunot, or “chained wives,” and between 2005 and 2010, a total of 462 cases existed in the U.S., according to a recent survey.
Secular courts in the U.S. cannot interfere in a religious divorce, which further complicates matters for the women, and violence may occur as a result. For example, a New Jersey couple was apprehended for arranging the kidnapping and beating of a man who refused to give a GET. Thus, some are promoting more civilized solutions to this problem. Read the rest »
Study Reveals Divorcing at a Younger Age May Be Hazardous to Your Health
The Huffington Post reports that a new study conducted by Michigan State University finds that divorcing at a younger age may be more dangerous to your health than separating later in life. The study’s researcher, Hui Liu, examined health information for a total of 1,282 participants over the last fifteen years in order to analyze the potential difference in well-being between those who stayed married throughout the study and those who divorced. For couples who made the decision to end their marriage, Liu discovered that those who split at a younger age tended to have more health problems than those who divorced later in life.
The findings of the study, which were published in Social Science & Medicine, seem to indicate that older individuals may be better equipped to handle the stress of divorce than younger people. Liu states another explanation of the study’s findings is that older people may be among “the most unhappily married due to years of pressure to stay in their relationships,” and therefore experience greater feelings of relief following the divorce. The finding surprised Liu as she thought younger couples would carry less stress from a divorce because it is more prevalent for the younger generation. Read the rest »
Divorce in the Jewish Community: What is a GET?
For those who are members of the Jewish faith, the matter of divorce is slightly different than a standard civil divorce or an annulment. A civil divorce is not sufficient to dissolve a Jewish marriage; Jewish law decrees that a couple remains married until the woman obtains a GET. GET is simply the Hebrew word for “divorce document.” According to Jewish law, a marriage is not dissolved until a GET is exchanged between husband and wife. This particular law has presented some problems for liberal Jews who have a religiously valid marriage, but they do not get a religiously-valid divorce. This can mean that a Rabbi will not officiate at a wedding if either party has been divorced without a GET. Read the rest »
Post-Divorce Financial Planning Tips
A divorce is an extremely difficult process for a couple to endure and will affect many aspects of a person’s life. One of the more challenging aspects for a newly divorced pair can be the lifestyle adjustment going from two salaries to one can bring, so it is crucial to know how you can rebuild your financial life and independence. The following are six tips to help you get started:
- Create a financial plan. During the divorce process, many decisions regarding finances were likely made, such as child care needs, expenses, or assets. Review those costs, while factoring in any child or spousal support, and adjust accordingly to reflect your single-status. Read the rest »
Your Holiday Survival Guide After a Divorce
The end of a marriage can be one of the most difficult things a person endures in his or her lifetime. A divorce forces a person to redefine their life, relationships, and even traditions. The holidays are a festive time for most, but when you are coping with a divorce, it can be difficult to find any joy in the holiday season. However, the holidays can be an excellent time to celebrate with family and create new traditions with those you love. The following are some helpful tips to help you celebrate during the holidays.
- Be flexible. Keep any old traditions you want, but also try some new things and get creative with the way you celebrate the holidays. Creating new traditions and holiday rituals that you can do each year can be a part of how you redefine your new life. Read the rest »
Can Halloween Predict a Divorce?
There can be many signs that a marriage is in trouble at any time during the year, but holidays tend to make those signs more obvious. According to The Huffington Post, one such “relationship fortune telling holiday” is Halloween.
The holidays are a time for couples to celebrate together, so if there are problems in the relationship, they will most likely be more noticeable during these times. When Halloween comes around, married couples usually follow a pattern of tradition, whether it’s decorating the house, hosting a Halloween party, taking their children trick-or-treating, or even not celebrating. If these traditions change for unknown reasons, it may be time to sit down and look at the relationship before it is too late. Some Halloween signs that could mean trouble in the marriage include: Read the rest »
U.S. Census Counts Pennsylvania among States with Lowest Divorce Rates
In a report entitled “Marital Events of Americans: 2009,” the U.S. Census Bureau identifies regional trends in divorce rates for men and women, according to The Huffington Post. The findings are based on 2009 data from the American Community Survey. The report concludes that the South has the highest divorce rates for men and women and the Northeast has the lowest.
According to the Census Bureau, the South includes Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Oklahoma. In this region, there are 10.2 divorces per 1,000 men and 11.1 per 1,000 women. These rates exceed the 2009 national averages for men and women, which are respectively 9.2 per 1,000 and 9.7 per 1,000. According to a Census family demographer, the higher divorce rates are largely due to the region’s higher marriage rates. Read the rest »
New Census Data Finds Divorce in U.S. Declining, But “Seven-Year Itch” Persists
Recently released data from the Census Bureau shows that divorces in the United States have leveled off slightly after decades of increase, with couples now somewhat more likely to reach 10 years of marriage. However, the “seven-year itch,” the trend of couples divorcing after seven years of marriage, was found to have carried on, reports ABC News. The new data finds that almost one out of every two first marriages is estimated to end in divorce, with about 46 percent of marriages not lasting until their 25th wedding anniversary.
The data is based upon the most recent figures from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, conducted by the Census Bureau, which surveyed 55,497 adults who have been or are married. According to the data, about 75 percent of people who have been married since 1990 reported they had been married for 10 years, which is an increase of about three percent for people who were married in the 1980s, when divorce rates peaked in the U.S. Divorce rates were the highest in the 1960s and 1970s, after laws were passed that made it easier to divorce. Read the rest »
Act 112 of 2010: Relocating in Pennsylvania with Your Child after Divorce
House Bill 1639 (now called Act 112 of 2010) is the new law regarding child custody in Pennsylvania, and went into effect on January 24. The new law deals with many aspects of child custody, but its focus is on setting a framework for the Pennsylvania court system to employ when handling a party’s request for location with a child following a divorce from another party.
Under the Act, a person who wishes to move is required to give notice to anyone else with custodial rights to their child. Keep in mind that “relocation” is defined as a child’s residence change that significantly inhibits the capability of the non-relocating party to implement their custodial rights. Relocation is not restricted to moving outside of Pennsylvania or moving between PA counties; even moving within the same county could be considered “relocation.” Read the rest »
New Bills Proposed to Require Couples Counseling before Divorce
An article on The Huffington Post reports that a Nebraska state senator recently proposed legislation that would provide judges the option to send couples with children who are minor-aged to counseling before granting a divorce. Moreover, in cases where no minor-aged children are involved and one spouse believes the marriage could be saved, counseling would be required. The bill does not specify who would pay for the counseling.
In Wyoming, a similar bill was introduced, and would make it mandatory for any couple wishing to marry to attend three hours of marriage counseling. If they failed to do so, they would have to wait a year before receiving a marriage license. Additionally, the bill would require couples who are seeking divorce to attend three hours of counseling. If they fail to do so, they would have to wait one year to file for marriage dissolution. This bill would require couples to pay for the counseling. Read the rest »
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