Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates has today announced his divorce from his wife and co-founder of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates after spending over 27 years of their lives together.?
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Both the Gates made this announcement via Twitter, with a message stating, ¡°After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage."
"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives.¡±
They added, ¡°We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives."?
"We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.¡±
Bill & Melinda Gates first met in 1987 when Melinda joined Microsoft as a product manager. They eventually started dating and after a few years, got married in 1994 on the Hawaiin island of Lanai.
The couple founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 in Seattle, focussing on philanthropic work surrounding education, public health and climate change.?
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The COVID-19 pandemic hasn¡¯t just affected people¡¯s physical and mental health, but it has also severely impacted their marriage. Many couples experienced frustration when they were forced to be locked indoors together due to the pandemic.?
A study conducted by Maya Luetke of the Indiana University School of Public Health and Indiana University School of Medicine showed 34 percent reported increased relationship conflict and decreased intimacy. Rates of depression and loneliness were also considerably higher among these individuals.
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The U.S. has seen a rise in the sales of online self-help divorce agreements by 34 percent in 2020 spring compared to last year (according to reports by the New York Post). Family lawyers surveyed in April 2020 and July 2020 reported a 25 percent to 35 percent increase in requests to start divorce proceedings compared to the same time in 2019.
A similar impact has also been seen in India. According to city advocates in Vishakhapatnam (reported first by TOI) they¡¯ve seen a 30 to 40 per cent increase in the petitions moved before the two family courts in the city.? ?