Over the last fifty years or so obtaining a divorce has become much easier in Western countries. In the United States most states began permitting “no fault” divorce based on the irreconcilable differences standard. Prior to “no fault” divorce you either had to have a very good reason such as abuse, impotence, etc. and in many cases getting a divorce was not even a possibility.
France is now considering taking it to the next level by allowing spouses to obtain a divorce by simply appearing before a court clerk and showing the clerk that they agree on the terms of the divorce and then the clerk can enter the divorce. Of course, such a proposal has it’s advocates and opponents. The opponents argue that it further weakens the institution of marriage. Proponents argue that given that 1 in 2 couples will divorce anyway there’s no need to prevent an easy divorce.
It will be interesting if France actually implements this proposal and if it expands to other Western countries.
