A PowerPoint discussion of issues surrounding Divorce by David Bown. Having viewed this slide show the student should be aware: That during the last century, the divorce rate increased dramatically. That the divorce rate refers to the number of divorces per thousand married couples. That divorce peaked in1993 at 180,000 per annum. Currently, one in every two new marriages ends in divorce (51.5%). That many couples separate without divorcing. That large numbers of empty shell marriages exist. That high divorce rates are a global phenomenon.