For better or worse or legal route

THE number of married couples opting for legal separation rather than trying to work out marital problems through counselling suggests attitudes towards marriage breakdown situations are undergoing a dramatic transformation.

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.