Tough economic times have force couples to postpone divorces. Legal costs and accountant fees grow as a union dissolves and a two-income household lives cheaper than a two-household pair of singles.

Child support or child maintenance is the ongoing obligation for a periodic payment made by a non-custodial parent to a custodial parent, caregiver or guardian, for the care and support of children of a relationship or marriage that has been terminated.

A divorce must be certified by a court of law, as a legal action is needed to dissolve the prior legal act of marriage.

The terms of the divorce are also determined by the court, though they may take into account prenuptial agreements or postnuptial agreements, or simply ratify terms that the spouses have agreed on privately.

Often, however, the spouses disagree about the terms of the divorce, which can lead to stressful litigation.

A less adversarial approach to divorce settlements has emerged in recent years, known as mediation, an attempt to negotiate mutually acceptable resolution to conflicts.

Divorce - Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are sometimes used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.

Define: Divorce - Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse.

It can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support or alimony, child custody, child support and distribution of property.