With marriage one enters into a social relationship that is in itself unique in several ways. Marriage gives us that one individual with whom we can share our deepest feelings and the society expects us to be one in all major decision making processes.

For most people marriage is a dream come true. They have their own idolised version of how things will be in their marriage.

Everyone expects it to be a bed of roses through and through. No one believes that one day this dream can turn into a disaster and they may have to find a way of ending it. Sadly at times one does have to take the harsh decision and the steps associated with it to dissolve the marriage and go in for divorce.

Divorce is a fact of life. It does not matter as to how unpleasant it is, it is a matter of record that the divorce rates are heading north in most countries of the world. In the more economically advanced states the increase in the rate of divorce has become a matter of great concern.

An overwhelming increase in the rate of divorce is bound to have negative repercussions on the society in general. It is not too early to state that this trend has already begun to manifest itself in the societal mores of the day. Today divorce is becoming a commonplace issue and single parent families are becoming the norm of the day.

A divorce has got several disadvantages, associated with it.

End of a Dream: As has already been stated, marriage is a dream for every boy and girl. Divorce is the dissolution of that dream. It is an end of all the positives that one normally associates with marriage. It is a rude awakening to the harsh realities of life.

Failure: It takes two people to make a marriage work. The failure of the marriage is also a personal failure for the two people involved. Though in some scenarios the fault may be entirely on the shoulders of one partner, the general perception is of it being a failure of both the spouses to commit themselves to each other.

Finances: A divorce can be a lengthy process and besides the time involved it also costs a lot of money. It is not without reason that people hesitate to step into the offices of solicitors. A divorce proceeding can empty the purse of an individual at a very fast rate and set him or her back by several years.

Division of Income: A divorce will automatically lead to a division of income also. It may make the everyday livelihood an expensive proposition for either one or both individuals concerned. This can greatly reduce the living standards enjoyed by the couple in pre divorce days.

Pain: A divorce is, in most cases, a painful proposition for the people involved. This is especially true in the case of a contested divorce. With the various private facets of life being discussed publicly, it can leave emotional scars that may take a long time to heal. The pain may subsist for a long time even after the divorce has taken place.

Children: The most negative impact of divorce is witnessed in the profound effect it has on the children of the divorcing couple. The children may start developing feelings of abandonment, loneliness or even rage. It may be that their studies are impacted or their personalities may undergo a drastic change for the negative.