THEGAYUK

Tag: Divorce

All the latest breaking news on divorce. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on divorce.

  • Coming out as gay, like Phillip Schofield after years of marriage, could lead to a legal nightmare, so what happens next?

    Coming out as gay, like Phillip Schofield after years of marriage, could lead to a legal nightmare, so what happens next?

    Free-Photos / Pixabay

    After years of marriage, coming out as gay, when you’re married and with children could have legal repercussions. We asked Stephanie Kyriacou and Matt Parr, associates at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, to outline what happens next.

    Coming out as gay, what are the next steps?

    MabelAmber / Pixabay

    At the start of February, television personality Phillip Schofield revealed that he is gay. His announcement has been hailed as a powerful move that may have given many others in a similar position the courage to come out. However, it also works as a reminder that there are no rules when it comes to navigating the complexities that this emotional time can throw up, especially in terms of family and finances.

    Coming out can bring a host of challenges, and in the midst of an already intense period of time, many people may not immediately consider the wider implications. Particularly for those who, like Phillip Schofield, choose to come out later in their lives, tricky conversations around finances and estate planning may arise sooner than expected. However, whilst this may seem a difficult topic to discuss communicating with family and friends can reduce the risk of family conflict and ensure that loved ones are safeguarded for the future.

    Stephanie Kyriacou and Matt Parr, associates at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, detail the main steps to consider when coming out in later life.

    Get your ducks in a row

    Coming out can be daunting enough, but if you’re unsure of how your family and friends will react, the process can feel quite overwhelming. Before telling a partner or family members, it is sensible to consider your current financial and legal arrangements, including your existing will and powers of attorney. Equally, you may wish to speak to an adviser ahead of time and discuss the next steps if things were to rapidly go downhill, this would then allow changes to quickly be made to safeguard your interests.  

    Don’t make any rash decisions

    gracinistudios / Pixabay

    Your family might be shocked or find it difficult to accept your news at first, though it is important to remember that their first reaction isn’t necessarily how they will always feel – they may just need some time to process what you’ve told them. With this in mind, it is important to not make any rash decisions. There may be discussions to be had from both a financial and a personal perspective in terms of where you go from here. Every couple is unique, some may feel that it is best to separate and file for divorce, while others may be open to the idea of staying together and living as companions.

    Considering divorce

    Embed from Getty Images

    Under UK law, adultery can only occur between members of the opposite sex. Therefore, should either partner decide that they do not wish to stay in the marriage and on the basis they had not been separated for 2 years or more, they would need to issue a divorce application on the grounds of their spouse’s unreasonable behaviour. Under these circumstances, the person making the application must show that the other party has behaved in such a way that they cannot reasonably be expected to live with him or her, and that the marriage has irretrievably broken down.

    In these situations, it is advisable to take specialist advice from an accredited family lawyer, who can promote a constructive and non-confrontational approach, often resulting in a far better outcome for all involved. Resolution is a useful starting point to find local accredited experts.

    For those divorcing without children, the process can be very simple, focusing mostly on the division of assets such as money, property and investments. However, a divorce involving children can be far more complicated and often requires arrangements for maintenance payments, as well as provisions to be made to safeguard the children’s futures.

    Looking to the future

    get some breathing, man alone
    CREDIT: Natasha_from_Russia-bigstock

    Should the point come where a new relationship is formed, it may be important to ensure that children from the first marriage are provided for.

    Financial arrangements which can protect assets owned prior to living with a new partner can be set out in a cohabitation agreement, therefore ensuring transparency around who owns what. Similarly, should you decide to remarry, a prenuptial agreement is advisable as it will allow you to outline the assets brought into the marriage as well as those that are to be kept separate.  

    By securing the right expert advice, keeping lines of communication open and allowing time for your loved ones to accept your news, coming out can be the start of an exciting new chapter.

  • What you post online could be wrecking your relationship

    What you post online could be wrecking your relationship

    CREDIT: Wavebreak Media Ltd bigstock

    Is your relationship on the rocks? Was 2019 a tough year, research has shown that people are rowing about what their other after is posting online!

    Just under half of all Brits admit they have secretly checked their partner’s Facebook account and one in five went on to row about what they discovered, new research has revealed.

    One in seven said they had contemplated divorce because of their other halves activities on Facebook, Skype, Snapchat, Twitter or WhatsApp.

    People are angry at the amount of posting their partners do

    CREDIT: monkeybusinessimages-bigstock

    Nearly a quarter or the 2,000 married Brits asked, said they had at least one argument a week with their partner because of social media use and 17 per cent said they rowed every day because of it.

    The most common reasons for checking their partner’s social media accounts was to find out who their partner was talking to, to keep tabs on them, to check who they were out with and find out if they were telling the truth about their social life.

    While 14 per cent said they looked specifically to identify evidence of infidelity.

    Social media is a rising reason for divorce!

    CREDIT: ©-zimmytws-Depositphotos

    The research was commissioned by family law specialists Slater and Gordon who have seen an increase in the number of people citing social media use as a cause of divorce year on year.

    Andrew Newbury, head of family law at Slater and Gordon said:

    “Social media can be a wonderful way of keeping in touch with family and friends, but it can also put added strain on a relationship.

    “Five years ago Facebook was rarely mentioned in the context of a marriage ending, but now it has become common place for clients to cite social media use, or something they discovered on social media, as a reason for divorce.

    “With more than 556 million people using Facebook each day, the way we live our lives, and our marriages, has drastically changed. We are finding that social media is the new marriage minefield.

    “Social media, specifically pictures and posts on Facebook, are now being routinely raised in the course of divorce proceedings.”

    It wasn’t just what their partner was doing on social media but also how long they spent on it that was likely to cause marital problems with Facebook usage topping the list of reasons couples argued over social media.

    Arguments were also caused because of contact with an ex-partner, sending secret messages and posting inappropriate photos.

    One in twenty even complained that their partner didn’t post any pictures of them together which made them upset.

    Fifteen per cent of Brits considered social media to be dangerous to their marriage, with Facebook considered the most dangerous, followed by WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram.

    But one in ten admitted they hid images and posts from their partner, while eight per cent admitted to having secret social media accounts.

    A fifth of respondents said they felt uneasy about their relationship after discovering something on their partner’s Facebook. 43 per cent said they confronted their spouse immediately about this, but 40 per cent said it took them some time before they felt comfortable to raise it with their partner.

    While a third said they kept their social media log-in details a secret from their partners, 58 per cent said they knew their partner’s log-in details, even if their spouse wasn’t aware they knew them.

    Andrew Newbury, head of family law at Slater and Gordon said:

    “Social media can also make a divorce more difficult. Divorce is already a stressful time for everyone involved and what is being posted on Facebook can antagonise families and make a speedy resolution more difficult to achieve.

    “We are now actively advising our clients to be cautious when it comes to using Facebook and all forms of social media because of its potential to damage relationships.”

    Five social media tips that could save your relationship.

    1. Don’t post in anger.

    Your post will be seen by all your friends, family and potentially millions of others. Even if you later delete your post, the damage will have been done.

    2. Be respectful.

    Don’t complain about your partner or other family members online.

    3. Be transparent.

    Check with your partner before you post images or information.

    4. Check your privacy settings.

    You might think someone can’t see a post when they actually can.

    5. Take a break and enjoy the moment.

    You don’t need to post everything on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

    This article was first published in 2015.

  • What’s the difference between marriage and civil partnerships?

    Are there differences between civil partnerships and marriage? Andrew Smith, Associate Solicitor for Blacks Solicitors’ Family Law team, answers the question.

    Is there difference between Civil Partnerships and marriage?

    What are the legal differences between a civil partnership and a marriage?

    “There are very few ‘legal’ differences between a civil partnership and a same-sex marriage. Civil partners cannot refer to themselves as ‘married’ and it is a different ceremony. On a certificate of civil partnership, both parents are named rather than just the father on a marriage certificate; but there is legally little difference between the two.”

    “The main differences are similar to those between a religious marriage and a civil ceremony undertaken by heterosexual couples; in regard to the formation, the ceremony, the administrative process and the certificates.

    “Somewhat controversially, one of the main differences is that civil partners are unable to cite the specific act of Adultery as the main reason for why the civil partnership has broken down. This is because the definition of adultery is sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite sex outside marriage. Instead, civil partners have to use ‘unfaithfulness’ as one of a number of examples of Unreasonable Behaviour.”

    What about divorce? Can civil partnered couples get divorced?

    What about divorce? Can civil partnered couples get divorced?

    “A married couple will have a ‘divorce’ whilst civil partners will have a ‘dissolution’ if they choose to separate. Therefore the answer is technically yes as although the terminology is different, it does mean the same thing in principle.”

    What about pension rights, are they the same between marriage and civil partnerships?

    “Up until very recently, this had been a grey area for those who retired prior to when the act was introduced.

    “The Walker v Innospec [2017] case which recently made the headlines challenged this and saw the Supreme Court unanimously allow Mr Walker’s appeal for his employer to pay his pension to his spouse in the event of his death, despite his service predating December 2005.

    “This fantastic result will pave the way for all same-sex couples in a similar situation, who are either married or in a civil partnership, to be able to leave their pension to their spouse.”

    If you have a LGBT legal query you would like to discuss with Andrew, please email him on AJSmith@LawBlacks.com or visit the website for more information: www.lawblacks.com

  • Gay Marriage laws still not equal in England and Wales

    Gay Marriage laws still not equal in England and Wales

    The law concerning same-sex marriage and divorce in England and Wales still isn’t equal as statistics show same-sex divorce is on the rise.

    gay men getting married
    CREDIT: dolgachov bigstock

    Same-sex marriage may only have been legal for four years but divorces have taken a sharp increase, according to a new report from the Office of National Statistics released this month. James Perrett dives into the data and chats to three law firms to find out what we know so far.

    There’s a little-documented fact about divorce that may come as a surprise to the LGBTQ+ community. Despite same-sex marriages being introduced into law in England and Wales in 2014, adultery cannot be used as grounds for divorce of a same-sex couple because the law defines adultery as “sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex.”

    The latest data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows the number of divorces between same-sex couples in England and Wales last year was 338, more than three times the number in 2016 which was 112.

    “Adultery” doesn’t legally count for same-sex divorce

    Unreasonable behaviour was the most common reason that same-sex couples gave for divorcing, accounting for 83% of divorces among women and 73% among men. But how many of those divorces cited unreasonable behaviour because adultery was not an option?

    Helen Habershon, senior associate at Barlow Robbins in Woking, told me it may not be that simple.

    “A key fault in the system is that not only can you not petition for your own adultery, you also have to get the person who committed adultery to admit it.

    “They don’t have to name who the other person is, but they do have to admit it on the form that the court sends them.

    “Many times, if there’s any worry or risk that the other person won’t admit the adultery, I always advise that they proceed on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour.

    “So, although in a same-sex marriage they can’t use adultery as a reason, I’m not sure how significant that actually is.

    “Because of everything that has to go with adultery, you’re invariably in some way or another going to submit an unreasonable behaviour petition.”

    But she added: “It is ridiculous that it’s limited to what the law says, in that it must be intercourse with the opposite sex, because it’s still the affair, the lack of intimacy, the breach of trust.”

    When you petition for divorce, you’re required to prove your marriage has suffered an irretrievable breakdown and then give one of the following reasons: adultery (in heterosexual marriages); unreasonable behaviour; desertion; separation of two years without consent or separation of five years, for which no consent is required. You also have to have been married for more than one year before petitioning for divorce.

    According to the ONS statistics, the average (median) number of years of a same-sex marriage before divorce in 2017 was 3.5 years for men and 2.8 years for women.

    “It could be that some people have been together a long time and they get married so that they can have children.” Helen suggested. “Things like IVF and adoption can put a strain on a relationship.”

    “Law is based on 1973 legislation”

    But for Zahra Pabani, partner and family law expert at Shakespeare Martineau, the current law isn’t just discriminatory to same-sex relationships.

    “I would say it’s as frustrating for heterosexual couples as it is for homosexual couples,” she said. “Our law is based on 1973 legislation, it has not moved with the times for same-sex or opposite-sex couples.

    “It’s frustrating for everybody, not just the gay community – maybe more so because they can never claim for adultery but it’s frustrating for everybody.”

    She added that the high numbers for same-sex divorce may be down to the excitement around the law finally coming to pass, after many years of hard campaigning.

    “Everybody got terribly excited that they could get married,” she said. “So I think sometimes the relationship might not have been great but you try to salvage it by getting married.

    “I see that in opposite-sex couples who have been living together for a really long time then try to refresh the relationship by getting married and the relationship breaks down quickly. It doesn’t matter what sexual orientation you are, lots of people do that.

    “There was a flurry of gay marriage but it wasn’t always for the right reasons, not because they’re gay; everybody does it.”

    Gay parents can have added discrimination

    © DGLimages Depositphotos

    Where the law is discriminatory, she argues, is when it comes to single people trying to become a parent.

    “It’s much harder to apply for a parental order if you’re single, gay or straight,” she said. “As a woman, you could try to get yourself pregnant but if you’re a man and you do it by getting a friend pregnant it’s much, much harder for you because the law will always favour the person carrying the child.

    “Even harder if you were a gay woman who couldn’t carry a baby so you used a surrogate, because you’re not the person carrying it.”

    Zahra is a Resolution lawyer, part of a body that advocates a non-confrontational approach to divorce, and said people petitioning for divorce should first try to reach a settlement out-of-court, either directly through their partner, or through a good solicitor.

    *Divorce statistics from ONS are derived from information recorded by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service during the divorce process

  • Isn’t it time UK law considered gay sex equal to straight sex?

    For those who continue to call same-sex marriage “marriage equality,” you might be interested to know that the UK government doesn’t consider your sexual activity equal.

    So when same-sex marriage came into law, it didn’t automatically spell marriage equality – it’s one of the reasons why THEGAYUK.com doesn’t use the term.

    One of those things that stopped us from fully embracing the marriage equality slogan was that in UK law gay sex and straight sex are not equal.

    How do we know this? Well, straight couples can get divorced because of adultery. Gay couples cannot. Effectively treating same-sex sexual relations differently from heterosexual sexual relations.

    Adultery is defined by UK law “voluntary sexual relations between an individual who is married and someone who is not the individual’s spouse”, but it only counts if the person is of the opposite sex. A spouse cannot commit adultery if the person they are cheating with is the same sex.

    Grounds for divorce, in this case, would have to be petitioned under “unreasonable behaviour”.

    This is also true of civil partnerships. Speaking to THEGAYUK.com last year, Andrew Smith, Associate Solicitor for Blacks Solicitors’ Family Law team told us,

    “…the definition of adultery is sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite sex outside marriage. Instead, civil partners have to use ‘unfaithfulness’ as one of a number of examples of Unreasonable Behaviour.”

    “Where is the equality?”

    Jodene Murphy is petitioning the UK government for change. Writing on the petition Murphy explains, “When the UK Government welcomed same-sex marriage and updated the Marriage Act accordingly, they neglected to sufficiently update the divorce law. We are now living in a country where same-sex couples cannot divorce under the grounds of adultery. Where is the equality? Equal rights for all.”

    The petition needs to garner over 10,000 signatures in order for the government to answer. At 100,000 signatures, the petition will be considered for debate in Parliament.

  • LEGAL ADVICE | How do my partner and I dissolve our civil partnership, if one of us lives abroad?

    A reader asks our legal experts for advice on how to dissolve a civil partnership when one of them lives outside the UK. Megan Bennie, a solicitor at Grayfords Law looks into the case.

    How do I dissolve a civil partnership, if one of us lives abroad?
    FILE PHOTO

    Dear Legal Clinic,

    Hello. I have me tried in many ways to obtain the necessary information with no success. I hope you can help. Both my ex-partner and I wish to dissolve our civil partnership.

    The issue is I live abroad in Greece and he is in London. We have no mutual assets. We’ve been using documents from the Internet and posting to the court. But there are no guidelines for this process with one of us being non-domicile. I cannot get any documentation or information as I am not UK resident.

    Do we need for lawyers to be involved?  Just need to know the system.

    Malcolm

     

    Dear Malcolm,

    Thank you for your questions.  We live in an increasingly international world and now it is by no means unusual for a couple to be different nationalities, to live or marry abroad…and even to divorce from abroad. So don’t worry, there is a way through.  Even if you are living abroad, you can petition for a dissolution of your civil partnership on the basis that you last lived as a partnered couple in England and Wales (if this is the case) and/or your civil partner lives in England and Wales. One hurdle you might find harder to overcome is that you MUST have either your original marriage certificate or a certified copy (and a translation if it is not in the English or Welsh language). You can order a copy from the General Register Office for about £10.  https://www.gro.gov.uk   

    If you’re abroad and still on fairly amicable terms with your ex, have you thought about him applying for the dissolution? Unfortunately, you can’t apply together, even if you both agree the partnership has come to an end. However, that’s not to say you can’t work together to agree the paperwork in advance and split the fee. If your ex-partner still has an address in the UK it is likelier to be far quicker and easier for him to deal with the paperwork and get things moving.

    Best of luck with moving the dissolution forward. The process usually takes 6-9 months so the sooner you start, the sooner you can reach the finish line and start your new legally separate lives. 

     Megan Bennie– Solicitor at Grayfords

     

    Do you have a legal question you need to be answered? Click here to send us a query for free now.

     

    The advice given here is provided for free and is not intended to replace legal advice from your own legal representatives who will better know and understand your circumstances and situation. Before acting on any information you should check with your own legal representatives.

  • Is there a difference between Civil Partnerships and marriage?

    Is there a difference between being a civil partner and a married person? Andrew Smith, Associate Solicitor for Blacks Solicitors’ Family Law team, specialises in LGBT legal work and is a huge supporter of the community answers the questions.

    Is there difference between Civil Partnerships and marriage?

    What are the legal differences between a civil partnership and a marriage?

    “There are very few ‘legal’ differences between a civil partnership and a same sex marriage. Civil partners cannot refer to themselves as ‘married’ and it is a different ceremony. On a certificate of civil partnership, both parents are named rather than just the father on a marriage certificate; but there is legally little difference between the two.”

    “The main differences are similar to those between a religious marriage and a civil ceremony undertaken by heterosexual couples; in regard to the formation, the ceremony, the administrative process and the certificates.

    “Somewhat controversially, one of the main differences is that civil partners are unable to cite the specific act of Adultery as the main reason for why the civil partnership has broken down. This is because the definition of adultery is sexual intercourse with someone of the opposite sex outside marriage. Instead, civil partners have to use ‘unfaithfulness’ as one of a number of examples of Unreasonable Behaviour.”

    What about divorce? Can civil partnered couples get divorced?

    What about divorce? Can civil partnered couples get divorced?

    “A married couple will have a ‘divorce’ whilst civil partners will have a ‘dissolution’ if they choose to separate. Therefore the answer is technically yes as although the terminology is different, it does mean the same thing in principle.”

    What about pension rights, are they the same between marriage and civil partnerships?

    “Up until very recently this had been a grey area for those who retired prior to when the act was introduced.

    “The Walker v Innospec [2017] case which recently made the headlines challenged this and saw the Supreme Court unanimously allow Mr Walker’s appeal for his employer to pay his pension to his spouse in the event of his death, despite his service predating December 2005.

    “This fantastic result will pave the way for all same sex couples in a similar situation, who are either married or in a civil partnership, to be able to leave their pension to their spouse.”

    If you have a LGBT legal query you would like to discuss with Andrew, please email him on AJSmith@LawBlacks.com or visit the website for more information: www.lawblacks.com

  • LEGAL CLINIC | I need to dissolve my civil partnership but my partner has been missing for years

    A reader asks how he might go about legally separating from his civil partner after a number of years of separation, the only problem the partner is uncontactable. We asked the lawyers for their advice.

    How to get a Civil Dissolution

    Dear Legal Clinic

    “I’ve entered into a civil partnership about ten years ago with a guy from Poland and have since lost contact with him. I have tried for a number of years now to track him down as I would like to dissolve our partnership. As I can’t locate the guy and believe he has moved back to Poland, is there a way I can dissolve our Civil Partnership with him?

    Any help would be much appreciated.”

     James

    Grayfords‘ Megan Bennie write,

    Dear James,
    Thank you for your question. Your situation may sound rare but it’s actually more common than you might think. In today’s increasingly international world, it’s not uncommon for someone to move back to their home city or country when a relationship breaks down.

    You say you’ve tried to locate your partner for a number of years. The easiest way for you to obtain a dissolution of your civil partnership is on the basis of 5 years’ separation (dissolution is the almost exact equivalent for civil partnerships of a divorce for marriages – the forms and procedures are the same). It sounds like you might be close to the 5-year point or have already reached it. The advantage of basing the dissolution on 5 years’ separation is that you don’t need the consent of the other person. If you were to base the dissolution on 2 years’ separation you would need written consent from your partner to proceed.

    The most sensible way forward is for you to petition for a dissolution based on 5 years’ separation and use your partner’s last known address on the forms. You can write to the court to submit the forms and include some information about your attempts to locate your partner. The court is likely to accept the petition as long as your attempts are genuine, sensible attempts – you don’t have to take extreme measures or go to the ends of the earth but the court does want to see you’ve at least tried.

    Once the dissolution petition is sent out – one copy to you and one to your partner’s last known address – you should apply to dispense with service upon them, in other words, do away with the requirement for papers to be successfully received by your partner. You complete a D13 form which covers the steps you’ve taken to try and find your partner, including attempts to contact them through an employer, family, etc. where possible and the court makes a decision as to whether or not it can dispense with the service requirement. There is a small additional fee of around £50 for this application (on top of the £550 dissolution fee) and it adds a little extra time to the process. However, compared to staying married until your partner resurfaces, if they ever do, it may be a small price to pay.

    You can download all the forms you need for the dissolution procedure, including the D8 application to start the process and the D13 form to dispense with service, at http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/.

    A lot of websites offer you an “online divorce” but unfortunately, many of them simply charge you to complete and download the forms you can already download for free from the website mentioned above. I strongly recommend that, even if you start the dissolution process yourself, you take advice from a solicitor on the D13 form so that you can dispense with service quickly and easily. A solicitor will know the kinds of things you need to put down to satisfy the court you’ve done all you can.

    I wish you the best of luck James and if you do need a hand with any aspect of the dissolution process, don’t hesitate to call us, or any other solicitor. If cost is an issue, you may wish to speak with your local Citizens Advice Bureau or contact the Personal Support Unit at a local court. They can’t give you legal advice in the same way a lawyer can, but they can help with forms and procedures.

    Back to legal clinic

     

  • LEGAL CLINIC | What If I Don’t Want To Get Married? What Are Your Rights

    LEGAL CLINIC | What If I Don’t Want To Get Married? What Are Your Rights

    The introduction of gay marriage into UK law (except in Northern Ireland) could be described as the most significant step in gay and lesbian rights since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1969.

    (more…)

  • Is Social Media Wrecking Your Relationship?

    Just under half of all Brits admit they have secretly checked their partner’s Facebook account and one in five went on to row about what they discovered, new research has revealed.

    One in seven said they had contemplated divorce because of their other halves activities on Facebook, Skype, Snapchat, Twitter or What’sApp.

    Nearly a quarter or the 2,000 married Brits asked, said they had at least one argument a week with their partner because of social media use and 17 per cent said they rowed every day because of it.

    The most common reasons for checking their partner’s social media accounts was to find out who their partner was talking to, to keep tabs on them, to check who they were out with and find out if they were telling the truth about their social life.

    While 14 per cent said they looked specifically to identify evidence of infidelity.

    The research was commissioned by family law specialists Slater and Gordon who have seen an increase in the number of people citing social media use as a cause of divorce year on year.

    Andrew Newbury, head of family law at Slater and Gordon said:

    “Social media can be a wonderful way of keeping in touch with family and friends, but it can also put added strain on a relationship.

    “Five years ago Facebook was rarely mentioned in the context of a marriage ending, but now it has become common place for clients to cite social media use, or something they discovered on social media, as a reason for divorce.

    “With more than 556 million people using Facebook each day, the way we live our lives, and our marriages, has drastically changed. We are finding that social media is the new marriage minefield.

    “Social media, specifically pictures and posts on Facebook, are now being routinely raised in the course of divorce proceedings.”

    It wasn’t just what their partner was doing on social media but also how long they spent on it that was likely to cause marital problems with Facebook usage topping the list of reasons couples argued over social media.

    Arguments were also caused because of contact with an ex-partner, sending secret messages and posting inappropriate photos.

    One in twenty even complained that their partner didn’t post any pictures of them together which made them upset.

    Fifteen per cent of Brits considered social media to be dangerous to their marriage, with Facebook considered the most dangerous, followed by WhatsApp, Twitter and Instagram.

    But one in ten admitted they hid images and posts from their partner, while eight per cent admitted to having secret social media accounts.

    A fifth of respondents said they felt uneasy about their relationship after discovering something on their partner’s Facebook. 43 per cent said they confronted their spouse immediately about this, but 40 per cent said it took them some time before they felt comfortable to raise it with their partner.

    While a third said they kept their social media log-in details a secret from their partners, 58 per cent said they knew their partner’s log-in details, even if their spouse wasn’t aware they knew them.

    Andrew Newbury, head of family law at Slater and Gordon said:

    “Social media can also make a divorce more difficult. Divorce is already a stressful time for everyone involved and what is being posted on Facebook can antagonise families and make a speedy resolution more difficult to achieve.

    “We are now actively advising our clients to be cautious when it comes to using Facebook and all forms of social media because of its potential to damage relationships.”

     

    Have you ever checked on your partner’s social media or other profiles?

    Yes
    No

    Poll Maker


    TOP FIVE TIPS FOR COUPLES USING SOCIAL MEDIA

     

    1. Don’t post in anger. Your post will be seen by all your friends, family and potentially millions of others. Even if you later delete your post, the damage will have been done.

    2. Be respectful. Don’t complain about your partner or other family members online.

    3. Be transparent. Check with your partner before you post images or information.

    4. Check your privacy settings. You might think someone can’t see a post when they actually can.

    5. Take a break and enjoy the moment. You don’t need to post everything on Facebook