On divorce one spouse often ends up paying maintenance to the other spouse. This often happens initially if their are children to support but once they have grown up surely the maintenance receiving spouse should be encouraged to re-train and start a career and build up their own income?

Maintenance orders should have a maximum term as they do in Scotland and mainland Europe and not be for life. 

The current system in England and Wales of lifetime spousal maintenance orders is out of date. The law that has not been reformed since 1973. We have moved on a long was since then with modern relationships and equal rights for all embedded in legislation. 

The outcome of divorce needs to be more certain for both parties.

I know that if I drive my car at 40 in a 30 mile an hour zone I am breaking the law and likely to be fined but there are no set parameters for the probable largest financial transaction of my life. This makes no sense. No one gave me a financial health warning of the possible consequences when I got married.

The law as it stands encourages the recipient spouse not to work and if they have a new partner not to re-marry and in some cases disguise that they are in fact now cohabiting and have shared and reduced household costs.

I believe this is an area of law that needs urgent reform.