The Rise in the Divorce Rate and Changes in the LawA divorce is the legal end of a marriage between a husband and wife. The divorce rate has increased every time laws have been passed to make divorce quicker, easier and cheaper, and many people believe that legislative changes have led to an increase in the divorce rate. However, other sociologists argue that legislative changes do not cause divorce and that the real reason why people divorce are changing expectations towards marriage, changing women's attitudes and decreasing pressure from the family, of community and religion against divorce. The Divorce Reform Act 1971 granted divorce on the basis of "irreparable breakdown of marriage" and divorce can occur after two years of marriage. The Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984 allowed divorce after 1 year. The Family Law Act of 1998 expressed people's concern that divorce was too easy and that the number of people getting divorced was rapidly increasing and this law said that you had to be married for a year and a half before you had to use...