Divorce app could help couples decide if their marriage has a future

The makers of the £9.99 app say it provides a practical view of the legal process, while critics say it trivialises divorce.

Anyone contemplating separation can, from today, use the same technology that brought them Cat Piano, Cow Toss and iBeer to decide whether or not to leave their partner.

The £9.99 app – Divorce? A comprehensive guide to divorce in England and Wales – has been launched by a group of family lawyers who say that, with the focus on mediation as a first point of action, it is intended to provide a practical, down-to-earth view of the divorce process.

Peter Martin, co-creator of the app, said it was intended to generate "informed discussions and better communication"

Martin, head of family law at OGR Stock Denton, said: "The purpose of Divorce? is to make people really think through their decision. It allows couples to have their eyes open before embarking on the formal stages of the process and spending money on legal fees.

"People don't always think through the actual implications of divorce and this app makes them do that from the moment they start contemplating the idea. It might hopefully even encourage some people not to give up on their marriage so easily and try to work things out."

The divorce rate in England and Wales is the lowest since 1974, according to the Office for National Statistics. In 2009, there were 113,949 divorces in England and Wales in 2009, 6.4% down on the previous year. It is the sixth consecutive year that the number of divorces has fallen, from a peak of 153,065 in 2003.

Anastasia de Waal, deputy director and director of family and education at the thinktank Civitas, questioned whether "casual technology" would trivialise divorce or simply give people in an already distressing situation misleading information.

"One of the manufacturer's claims is that the app makes the divorce process easier to understand. If this holds true, and solely impenetrable legalese stands between you and spousal severance, some jargon-busting might be a good thing. But ultimately the chances are this app will be mainly used by the curious – and perhaps on occasion the temporally furious – with little threat to lawyers' coffers."

Stephen Green of Christian Voice said: "This app disregards the sanctity of marriage by reducing it to mere monetary concerns. It could encourage divorce by normalising the decision, making it seem as easy to make as any other lifestyle choice. It could also deter the other partner from fighting to save their marriage, by making the process seem inevitable and, again, as normal as any other decision their partner might take that they have to accept."

But Dr Adrian Rogers, a "pro-family" campaigner, said that if the app revealed the "true complications, difficulties and suffering" of divorce, it could help persuade people to fight to save their marriages. "For most people, divorce is soul-destroying. If this app conveys that to those considering separation and helps them realise that they can't do it like the celebrities can and walk away from their relationship and into another life with minimal fuss and bother, then this app should be welcomed."

(Published by The Guardian - April 14, 2011)