I’m wondering about this because I’ve had to fill out a few different forms lately. A couple for doctor’s offices, one for a life insurance policy and one for an employee benefits application.
Who cares if I’m divorced? What does it matter? What’s the difference between “divorced” and “single”? I don’t see how it could ever have applied or how it applies now to anything. What’s the Dope?
The title should read “Purpose of “Divorced” Status on Forms.”
I e-mailed Chronos already, but if some other mod happens upon this, can ya fix me up? Sowy! 
Depending on the agreements arrived at during a divorce, a creditor may be able to come after the ex-spouse for some reimbursement. Since anyone providing a service is a potential creditor, they like to know these things in advance. It’s one of several credit checks they perform.
It may not make as much sense in 2001 as it did in 1941, but those folks aren’t going out of their way to reduce the amount of paperwork they are doing.
A similar status that occurs on our medical records system here is “interlocutary” (which I may have misspelled there). It’s in there with “divorced”, “Single”, MArried", “widowed”, etc. I gather the term means “between decrees”, but there may be more to it that that. Can someone clarify?
this is my take on it:
Divorced means you were once married and now aren’t in the eyes of the law - this is not the same as an anullment which means a marrage never took place (for one reason or another).
single means never married (including anullments)
Some people don’t take divorces as valid ends of a marrage. Just having single, married, and widowed would leave a divorced person to state single but some people believe that you are still married (even though you don’t see each other) which would make your statement a falsehood as far as they are concerned. the ‘divorces’ catagory lets the readed decide which catagory you are in.
There is a diffrence to people, just ask someone who is dating how they would react if they found out the person they 1st assumed was single was really divorced - not everyone would care but many will