Divorce In 1995, Statistics Canada data shows that 30% of marriages split (McGovern). Since the 1960"'s, marriage and divorce have been undergoing profound changes which have altered the meaning of marriage, the chances of its ending in divorce and the circumstances attached to marriage. These changes have made it easier for couples to obtain a divorce due to the changing laws and changing morals of society. The changes include three new grounds needed to prove marital breakdown, such as your spouse committing adultery, your spouse causing mental or physical cruelty or a separation of a year it was previously three years. Divorce also impacts the family as a whole, not only the children but also the two parties involved. The government needs to make changes to the Divorce Act as people more and more are getting divorced as it brings a negative impact to those who wish to marry in the future. Over the years divorce has been easier to obtain. Divorce was extremely uncommon in Canada until after WWII. Until that time, Canada had one of the lowest divorce rates in the Western World, this is because opinions by social and religious leaders condemned divorce as a threat to the family. The strength of this opinion prevented the easing of Canada"'s divorce laws. Consequently, access to divorce in Canada was extremely limited until 1968. Until this time, getting married usually meant forever. Divorce was illegal unless one mate was proven adulterous. When divorce did happen, one party was believed legally innocent, the other party guilty, and that judgment affected the financial settlement. Both partners"" social status was sufficiently hurt -- most people tried hard to avoid divorce if they could. By 1968, however, the sexual ""revolution"" was in full swing. Couples were rebelling against old sexual restraints, a trend supported by the exaggerations of cash-hungry journalists and movie-makers.
