A man did not lose his position in society for this act, but if a woman committed adultery, she lost her place in society. But for the divorce to be approved, she had to have additional evidence that her husband had committed other acts, such as abuse or incest. The goal was to discourage divorce and encourage continued marriage and endurance through difficult times in marriage, according to J.D. Baird (1977). Today the influence is not as strong as it was then and the divorce rate is around fifty percent worldwide and the consequences can be phenomenal (O'neill, B. M.,