Final answer:
Customary marriages can be dissolved by divorce on various grounds, influenced by society's cultural and legal context, including adultery, abandonment, cruelty, and financial stress. Conflicts due to extended family obligations, like infertility or economic difficulties, may also provide grounds in certain cultures. Legal and societal changes continue to affect the dissolution of marriages, including evolving conceptions of non-traditional unions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Grounds for Dissolution of a Customary Marriage by Divorce
The grounds upon which a customary marriage may be dissolved by divorce can vary depending on the legal system and the cultural context of the society in which the marriage exists. However, traditionally and in modern legal systems, acceptable grounds for divorce have included adultery, abandonment, cruelty, and incurable insanity. Societal changes have also influenced the evolution of divorce laws over time. For example, financial stress is a significant factor leading to marital breakdowns. In addition, historical struggles, particularly after feminist campaigns, have made divorce more accessible, although discrepancies in access to legal resources can still exist.
In some cultures, marriages are seen as contracts not just between individuals but between families or lineages. Factors such as infertility, economic hardships, or the death of a child could lead to conflicts within these extended relationships, potentially providing grounds for divorce. The expectations that individuals bring into a marriage, including the anticipation of its permanence, also play a role in how a marriage may dissolve when those expectations are not met. In contemporary Western societies, with changing social norms and the increasing acceptance of non-traditional family structures, the legal recognition of marriage itself has adapted and can further influence divorce practices.
In assessing the dissolution of marriages, it is essential to recognize the diversity of marital forms, including
polygamous unions, same-sex partnerships, and common-law marriages. The specific grounds for divorce in these cases can also depend on the legal recognition and protection afforded to such unions within different jurisdictions.