An article in The Scotsman today talks about less people divorcing because they can’t afford to.  The article can be read here: http://bit.ly/wuL32v  I think the economic climate does make it very difficult to separate for some people.  Where there are insufficient funds to house both people, or insufficient income to cover two separate lifestyles instead of one under the same roof, then people can be forced to stay together much longer than they would otherwise.  Sometimes, people start to live separately within the same house to compensate for this, even dividing the house in two with partition walls and rotas for using the bathroom and kitchen.  This is far from an ideal solution to separation.  Separation needs to look and feel like separation.  Going through the same front door each night is distressing and feeling that there is a makeshift solution is stressful.  Unfortunately, that is one of the realities of the long term financial crisis that we find ourselves in.  Perhaps sitting down and finding a less hostile solution would be an idea if it was possible.  That is, living together but separately without the artificial need for partitions and rotas.  That is, recognising the separation and just being civil together until the economic cloud lifts and people can truly go their separate ways.