I see your point but if we're talking here about a lengthy marriage, where the stakes are really life-changing: the sharing of a mortgage-free home, life insurance policies, savings - that all takes 20-30 years. I would hope, that of after decades of co-habitation there is a breakdown, the friendship between the partners should carry through to a reasonable conclusion. If the breakdown happens in the first few years, there is little to lose.

It is seriously possible that a couple could be married 2-3 years, have it break down because of unreasonable causes e.g one person shows their true self, and then the other person must pay alimony the rest of their lives? If this is the case, then sure I'm in agreement with that being absolutely stupid.

That is the case, and it is absolutely stupid. It is also one of the reasons marriage rates have plummeted. There is a tremendous need for reform of alimony and child support laws to reflect the social changes that have happened in the last few decades.

It's not true. Alimony formulas are on a sliding scale based on years of marriage and employment history.

People in this conversation need to be more discerning about what kind of person they marry in the first place...

right, surely lack of discernment about marriage deserves a little prison-time.

I admit I've never been in a divorce but the idea of marrying someone who could come to respect me so little as to ruin my life would be a non starter.

You'd be surprised how much people can change over a decade, even 5 years. Hell even over a year.

Watch the Amanda and Rob segments of A Different Brain by Louis Theroux. (available in the usual places). https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07c6fjk