Thursday, Jun. 02, 2011
The Semimarried
Some married — and divorced — couples, have carved out a middle zone between marriage and divorce. Divorced cohabitants, for example, still maintain a household together for their children, but enjoy the (discreet) privileges of being unmarried. Other spouses are still married, but may function more like they're separated and don't seem to be entirely together. This makeshift middle ground has only grown since the recession of 2008 because, quite simply, many couples can't afford to get divorced. They can't sell their home (or they'd have to sell it at a loss) or they can't afford to establish two households, to say nothing of paying for the divorce lawyers.