Delaying divorce: pitfalls of restrictive divorce requirements

Journal Article

2015

Permanent link to this Item
Authors
Journal Title

Journal of Family Issues

Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher

SAGE Publications

Publisher

University of Cape Town

License
Series
Abstract
A period of separation is a ground for divorce in some countries. During this waiting period, some parents live apart in two separate residences, while other parents live apart in one residence. In this article, I examine the experiences of fathers who remain living in the same residence as their former partners and the experiences of a number of fathers who had to move out of the family home and live in a separate residence after the decision to separate. The findings show that restrictive divorce policies that delay divorce potentially create a situation of prolonged boundary ambiguity which complicate the process of renegotiating boundaries between parenting and former spousal relationships on divorce. The article argues that for a sample of divorced fathers, the policies that require a prolonged waiting period relate in some way to issues of unclear boundaries.
Description

Reference:

Collections