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The two most vital consequences during divorce are determining custody arrangements for young children and receiving an equitable distribution of marital assets.

Alimony or spousal support, which is the term used for legal purposes, is a payment to a former spouse to assist him or her with living expenses. Not every divorce will include spousal support, but if the court finds it is necessary, it can award it.

The term “mental illness” may usually bring to mind disorders such as schizophrenia and others such as anti-social personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. The stigma attached to these and other disorders may have a divorced parent diagnosed with a mental illness wondering if he or she can retain custody of the children.

When parents divorce, financial support for children may last long after their 18th birthdays. In 2016, Illinois passed a law allowing courts to order parents to contribute to college education expenses. Learn more about how this statute works and explore the division of college expenses between divorcing spouses who have children.

Divorce rates have trended downward in recent years in many age groups. The notable exception is the continued increase of “grey divorce,” which involves couples 50 years old or above. The numbers of divorces in this age group rose from 10% in 1990 to 25% in 2019 with experts predicting the rate will continue to go up.