This document discusses how divorce has changed society over time. Divorce rates have more than doubled between the mid-1960s and early 1980s, and statistics now show a rate of nearly 50% since 1960 compared to less than 20% previously. Perceptions of divorce have changed as the value of marriage has changed from a necessity to an irrevocable commitment to a more flexible institution. Divorce was stigmatized until no-fault divorces were introduced in the 1970s, making it easier to dissolve a marriage without proving fault. The increasing social acceptance of divorce has changed society's views on relationships and family structures.