Divorce Isn’t The End. It’s A New Beginning

Nobody likes to think about divorce. Yet, it is an unavoidable part of life for many. Even if you don’t get a divorce at some point in your lifetime, the chances of you knowing someone in your immediate group of friends or family who does get a divorce are outright astronomical. Recent studies have found that between forty and fifty percent of first marriages in the US end in divorce. So if everyone is so opposed to the very concept of divorce in the first place, why do so many divorces still happen? Despite the negative cultural connotation the term has picked up over the past several centuries, divorce is not a bad thing. In fact, it is a good, often extremely healthy practice that can and does enrich the lives of everyone involved.

Freed Marcroft is a law office striving to redefine the divorce experience for mothers across the nation. By leading with empathy, strategy, and unwavering empowerment, the office aims to recontextualize the priorities of divorce and challenge the cultural stigma associated with it. With a team of top-tier attorneys led by Meghan Freed, the firm champions women through complex family law issues, helping them reclaim control and build a stronger future for themselves and their children.

Freed has set a new national standard in family law, transforming how divorce is experienced by mothers everywhere. They're leaders not just in the courtroom, but in empowering parents to confidently reclaim control of their lives and futures.

What Is Divorce, Really?

The first recorded divorce on US soil actually occurred well before the United States of America had even been formed. In 1643, Anne Clarke, a resident of the then-colony known as Massachusetts, was granted a divorce from her husband, Denis Clarke. The Quarter Court of Boston agreed to grant the couple a divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. This incident served to set a legal precedent for US divorces, over a full century before the Declaration of Independence.

As such, the legal concept of divorce has remained essentially unchanged since then. Marriage is a legally binding contract governed by law, and to officially end one, a legally sanctioned divorce must occur.

Why Divorce Is Viewed Negatively

Nobody likes to go backwards. If you’re given the opportunity to move up in a company you are working for and receive a promotion, you don’t want to move back down. It feels counterintuitive to the drive and ambition within human nature, and makes the intervening time feel as if it has been wasted.

This is doubly true for marriages. The sunk cost fallacy applies tenfold when it comes to legally-sanctioned relationships, as people do not want to feel as though they’ve wasted some of the premium years of their life on a relationship that ultimately ends in divorce. As a result, divorce has come to be characterized in the cultural vernacular as synonymous with failure. However, in reality, this could not be farther from the truth.

Why People Get Divorced

When a couple gets divorced, it is because they have exhausted every other option and each other for an extended period of time. There isn’t a couple in the country who gets into a minor spat about in-laws one time and decides to go through with the extensive amounts of paperwork and legal trappings to get a fully-fledged divorce.

Rather, a divorce is meant to set people free, both legally and metaphorically, from the confines of a marriage that no longer meets their needs in any way. To this end, divorce should not be seen as the end, but rather a bold new beginning. It takes tremendous courage to initiate and follow through on a divorce.

Who Initiates A Divorce

Recent studies have shown that nearly seventy percent of all divorces are filed by women. Just as Anne Clarke initiated her own divorce proceedings hundreds of years ago, so too are women the ones more likely to make the hard choice and kick off the process that will ultimately create a healthier environment for themselves and for their family in the long term.

However, due to the negative stigma surrounding divorce, many women who do initiate a divorce are often vilified. This is the opposite of what should be happening, as wives and mothers who are going through such personal hardships should be championed and protected, rather than verbally subjugated.

A Bold New Solution

Freed Marcroft, co-founded by Meghan Freed, is setting a new national benchmark for how family law is practiced and experienced, especially for women navigating divorce and custody. The firm is known for helping mothers feel seen, heard, and confident, guiding them to make powerful, informed decisions during one of life’s most challenging transitions.

As a nationally respected voice in family law, Meghan is redefining what it means to be a divorce attorney by placing transformation and compassion at the heart of the legal process.

FAQ

How Common Is Divorce?

Between forty and fifty percent of first-time marriages end in divorce.

Are Men More Likely To Initiate Divorce?

No, women initiate upwards of seventy percent of divorces.

When Was The First Divorce In The US?

1643.

Are People Happier After Divorce?

Objectively, a difficult question to measure and ascertain a concrete answer to. But subjectively, many people often find the actual divorce proceedings to be quite emotionally fraught, but do achieve a greater sense of joy in the aftermath of it.

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