“Wedleases” Offered as a Suggestion to Reduce High Divorce Rates

A recent article in the Washington Post suggests that our current concept of marriage needs to adapt to the high divorce rate in the United States. As a solution, the author borrows a concept from property law and suggests that couples enter into “wedleases”—agreements in which couples commit to one another for a set period of years. Various suggestions about the terms to include in such a "wedlease" include property agreements, agreements to itemize purchases made during the couple's commitment to help later determine ownership, naming a third-party arbiter in the event of disputes, and an option to extend the lease in the event the couple has children. The article argues that “wedleases” provide a practical option for couples to part ways at the end of a bad relationship without going through a messy divorce process.

Katherine Kirk is a third year law student at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and contributes to IAALS Online. Please direct inquiries about this post to iaals@du.edu.