Divorce is as old as the institution of marriage itself. In ancient Egypt not only was divorce allowed but a person could divorce their spouse on any grounds, without any interference from the state. Among the ancient Romans, any person could divorce by simply sending a letter to their partner, or even by declaring that the marriage was over in front of witnesses. But these liberal attitudes towards divorce, changed with the advent of organised religions. After Christianity became the official religion of Romans in 380 C.E., divorce was strongly opposed by the church. The only proper way to end a marriage was annulment- a declaration by church officials to dissolve a marriage in exceptional cases. Hinduism views marriage as a vow to stay together for not just one life, but eternity, by Dharma. Islam includes various provisions for divorce under religious law, but still views divorce as an ‘evil’ that must be avoided. Why most religions were so strongly opposed to divorce, is unclear. Some theorists argue that it has to do with the fact that religions prioritise institutional signs over the well-being of individuals. In the 18th century, with the American and French revolutions, secularism was on the rise and the west source separation between the state and the church. There was a shift from religious laws to secular laws, that centre individual wellbeing and freedom. However, when the first divorce laws were introduced, the divorce rates were so low that in 1857 only 324 cases of divorce were filed in all of Britain. It was only with the rise in industrialisation and a change in family structures and gender roles, that the force became more common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Divorce rates begin to rise globally around the late 20th century yer India’s rates have remained at a mere 1%. It is useless to consider India as the land of eternal love. Less than 20% of Indian women in the paid workforce, one of the lowest rates of female labour force participation in the world. This makes them financially dependent on their husbands, and therefore less able to live a bad marriage. The conservative nature of our society adds fuel to the fire. In India, keeping the family unit together is an important determinant of social status. Divorce becomes an individualistic act of aberration in such a framework. The stigma of getting a divorce is so high, that many times people in unhappy marriages used to stay apart rather than getting divorced. The number of people separated in India is thrice the number of people divorced. The stigma of the ‘divorcee’ tag impacts women much more than men, with Indian men being twice as likely to remarry after a divorce. Being able to stick by one person and love them through life, may be the right choice for some people. But for others, it may not be so. Whether it’s a choice to fever once mental and physical well-being over an institution, or it’s simply to seek happiness and fulfilment elsewhere, we need to destigmatized this very mundane choice, to end a partnership, and just move on with our life.