ch refers to the physical separation of the spouses; they no longer share the same dwelling, and 'empty shell marriages¡, where the spouses live together, remain legally married, but their marriage exists in name only.
             Personal considerations need to be taken into account when we look at why people divorce, and it is clearly significant that people today live much longer than their ancestors. Since 1851 average life expectancy in Britain for men has risen from 40 to 70 years and for women from 42 to 76 years. Marriages therefore can last much longer, and a significant number break up when children leave home and partners realise that they have nothing left in common. It is often forgotten that in earlier times many marriages were terminated by the early death of either of the partners. Economic independence and grater equality at work, improved birth control and smaller families, higher expectations of marital relationships, and the isolation of the nuclear family are all seen as factors, which have contributed to the rise in women seeking a divorce.
             There is also a strong significant relationship between divorce and social class divorce rates are four times higher among working class couples than among professionals and highest of all among the unemployed.
             Despite minor fluctuations, there was a steady rise in divorce rates in modern industrial societies throughout the twentieth century. Liberalisation of the laws concerning divorce can be seen as integral to the changing social and sexual mores of the time. This is demonstrated by a marked increase in the number of divorces, which has followed each liberalisation of the law. Before 1857, divorce was rare; it was expensive and only obtainable by private Act of Parliament. The 1857 Matrimonial Causes Act simplified the procedure and set up courts, which dealt specifically with matrimonial cases. Men could petition for di
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