Divorce Taboo

A woman separated from her husband. And this is after she was married to him for 12 years. And this was difficult. Because, divorce, particularly for couples with children, is a ‘taboo’ within South Asian-American communities.

She realised, however, that she was not alone. Priyanka Upadhyaya is a clinical psychologist and clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU. And, Priyanka says; ‘the idea that one is not the only one is so liberating, empowering and destigmatizing’. What’s more, Priyanka is also a South Asian-American, single parent, with a young child.

The mother has found community. And she has discovered it since her separation, almost three tears ago. And this ‘community’ exists online and offline, such as a social media baking project. The people that this project has drawn into her life support her and her 7-year-old daughter.

According to Upadhyaya, many South Asian women live separately from their partners. However, they decide against legal divorce. Because of the social, emotional and economic advantages of staying married.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/parenting/divorce-single-mom.html

What is the residency requirement for getting divorced in California?

-to file for divorce in California, one spouse must be a state resident for six months/180 days

-once the divorce has been filed and your spouse has been given the paperwork, six months must pass, after your spouse receives papers, before the divorce can be finalised

-California doesn’t have ‘common law marriage’

-and this means that you aren’t married unless a marriage licence is obtained and you’ve entered a legal relationship

-you can’t divorce legally unless your marriage was legal

-how long you have lived together is irrelevant, and so is whether one partner took the other’s name

Source: https://www.nolo.com/customer-support/getting-divorced-in-california.html

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