For better or worse or legal route
In the view of ACCORD, a voluntary support group set up to help people experiencing difficulties in their relationship, a growing number of couples are no longer willing to give marriage a second chance.
Whatever the explanation, there has been a marked fall off in the number of people contacting ACCORD, down to 3,423 last year compared to 5,425 in 2001. Director Shay Ellis believes more couples in troubled relationships see legal separation as the only way out.
Through its nationwide network of 57 centres, ACCORD is a significant barometer of attitudes towards marriage. Under chairman Bishop Willie Walsh, it has 320 active counsellors whose aim is to provide “a better understanding of marriage by helping people initiate, sustain and enrich their marriage and family relationships and by offering support to relationships in difficulty”.
Arguably, the growing trend towards separation and divorce without recourse to counselling, may also be indicative of the waning influence of the Church in the whole area of personal morals. Following a spate of clerical sex scandals in this country and internationally, the traditional authority of the clergy has been seriously undermined.
Yet, it is clear that while a significant number of people have opted for the legal remedy of divorce, there is no suggestion that Irish marriage, as we know it, is in imminent danger of collapse.
That the family unit remains the most important force at the heart of society is reflected in the latest census figures issued by the Central Statistics Office, showing that since 1996 the number of people in their first marriage increased from 1,340,631 to 1,423,884 - a rise of almost 7%.
Having said that, however, there is overwhelming evidence to show that a gradual shift of attitude towards finding a solution for marriage breakdown is now under way.
Essentially, this transformation is mirrored in the census statistics for the same period which show that the number of separated people in Ireland has risen to 98,779 from 78,005 in 1996, a 26% increase.
At the same time, the number of divorced people has surged by 250% from 9,787 to 35,059 since legislation allowing them to end their marriage was first introduced seven years ago.
Inevitably, these figures are bound to be interpreted by those opposed to divorce as justifying their predictions that people would rush to the courts after divorce became law. Clearly, while the figures are rising, a doomsday scenario has not occurred.
Significantly, the figures indicate that couples are continuing to rely on judicial separation as a way out of broken marriages. The major difference is that while separation offers a relatively quick solution to people in marital difficulty, in contrast with divorce, they cannot remarry.
The number of people in broken marriages currently taking the legal route, rather than seeking counselling, is a trend with potentially important implications for the family unit, for children, and for society at large. It is a phenomenon that warrants in-depth sociological analysis.
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