Is it men or is it women that initiate divorce more often? An American Sociological Association study has found that it is women who initiate divorce more often. They found that 69% of divorces are started by women. However, in unmarried relationships the partner that chooses to leave is evenly split between the man and woman.
The researchers said that this was a surprise, but this is also a new area of research. Many young couples are choosing to live together for a long time before getting married. This used to be frowned upon just a few decades ago. The study looked at over 2,000 adults from 2000-2015 to see who stayed together with their opposite-sex partner and who left.
It was thought that women initiate more divorces because they are more sensitive to relationships troubles, but if that was the case then it wouldn’t matter if the couple was married or not. Some of the researchers theorize that women in general are less happy with marriage than our culture suggests. Modern gender equality expectations may not have caught up to the institution of marriage.
Regardless of who starts a divorce, there are always reasons behind it. Some marriages can be saved through mediation or counseling, but others cannot be sustained. At Elise Buie Family Law Group, PLLC, we strive to help couples understand the ramifications of divorce and advise them on their options on how they can work to stay together or divorce amicably. For more information about our approach to divorce, call our office today.
