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What is Marital Separation? In the early 2000s, a study was conducted in Canada on the dissolution and separation of married couples in Canada by the University of Victoria, British Columbia, in collaboration with other universities from Germany and Brazil. This study was to find out the trends and determinants of marital separation and divorce. They were surprised to find that the spouse’s employment outside the house, children’s schooling, pregnancy which normally we think of stressful, actually brought couples closer and strengthened their marriage. They also found that coming from a ‘happy’ home made women emotionally stronger and was a stabilizing factor in their own marriages. However, for a variety of reasons a couple may not want to take the final step of divorce, but would like to settle for a marital separation.

In such a case the law recognizes them as legally separated if the couple present themselves to their family and friends as separated.
If they do household chores for each other and still live as man and wife and exercise their marital rights and privileges also factor in determining whether they are legally separated. Once a couple is separated, it is better to draw up a legal document to that effect by a lawyer and sign it so that any future disputes may be avoided or amicably solved. In case the couple is unable to arrive at an agreement amicably, then they can approach a court for arbitration.

Either one can move the court to protect their assets and resolve the dispute. This legally drafted marital separation agreement has the purview to deal with child custody, child and or spousal support, distribution of joint marital assets, and family property. To avoid complications at a later date, it is better if both the parties engage lawyers to represent their interests, disclose all financial holdings and assets and arrive at a mutually satisfactory arrangement.

Such final arrangements should be set out in legally acceptable terms by a lawyer and signed by both parties and properly witnessed by a third party for it to be legally valid and binding. In cases where all avenues of communications have broken down, it is better to let the lawyers talk without acrimony and without psychologically damaging any children involved by raging a custody battle.

Once the lawyers have worked out a marital separation agreement, sign it and be done with it. This will be less hard on your children than seeing their parents’ at each other’s necks. If a couple can settle for being separated than opt for a divorce, the children feel more secure, especially if they are young and growing up. They will be emotionally stronger adults for knowing that their parents stayed together for their sakes. The various factors to be considered carefully and decided upon while opting for a martial separation include child custody and support, spousal support, distribution and allocation of family assets and properties, etc and any agreement to be focused on the welfare of the children. What is Marital Separation?



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