Divorce on the rise

Economic slowdown could be the reason, suspects family counsellor and advocate Neelima Gokhale

Divorce on the rise

Economic slowdown could be the reason, suspects family counsellor and advocate Neelima Gokhale

IF you thought global recession has threatened you with layoffs and salary cuts, then chances are that you are not aware of the number of divorce cases by mutual consent filed in city's family court.
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Family counsellor and advocate Neelima Gokhale claims to have filed at least 30 cases in the last three or four months alone.

While the number of divorce by mutual consentu00a0 cases have increased over six months, money, in many cases, has played a significant role.
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"No woman would say that she is leaving her man since he does not have the money he once had. Meanwhile, most men allege that their wives have lost interest due to shrinking incomes," said Gokhale.

Gokhale attributes this trend to a great degree of impatience among professional partners who feel growth in careers means more money. "They are not in the mood to wait for the spouse to grow at a natural pace," Gokhale added.

Coincidence

This, coinciding with the period of economic slowdown, does not surprise Gokhale. "I cannot say whether the divorce by mutual consent have increased due to recession, but money does play a vital role," she says.

She is not the only one to have filed such divorce cases in the family court, at least five of Gokhale's colleagues have filed as many cases as her.

"Youngsters in the age group of 25 to 32 form a large chunk of applications, as they are clear about bifurcation of their earned assets and property. "They are very clear about each other's net worth and what they must get after the divorce," Gokhale said.

According to Gokhale, if the settlement is fine they decide out of court and sever ties without haste or regret.
Only last week, Gokhale handled a case of separation of an HR professional married to an advocate. "Both the families were excellent, but the couple refused co-habitation despite intense counselling," Gokhale said.