Why Are Women More Likely to Initiate Divorce?

 Posted on July 12,2019 in Divorce

When one person wants a divorce, it is rare that the other partner is blindsided by the announcement; an unhappy relationship does require two people. However, a new study has found that most initial divorce announcements come from women. When looking over the data, there are a few factors that explain why this may be the case. 

A study by the American Sociological Association surveyed more than 2,000 heterosexual couples and discovered that women initiated 70% of the divorces. However, if a couple broke up while they were not married, there was no significant difference in which partner initiated the end of the relationship. Married women report having lower satisfaction levels in marriage than married men. In non-married couples, the satisfaction levels between the genders remained relatively the same, regardless of whether the couple was living together or not. Looking at historical divorce data, women have been the primary divorce initiators as far back as the 1940s. 

According to Michael Rosenfeld, an associate professor of sociology at Stanford who worked on this study, women tend to find marriage oppressive. When getting married, women are more likely to take their husbands’ last names. Societal pressure also considers women to be responsible for doing most of the housework and staying home to raise the children. Most women do not fit these stereotypes but are pressured to do so by society and their husbands, and when they are unhappy in their marriage, divorce becomes their best option. Non-marital relationships often allow women to avoid the stringent societal pressures that come with marriage. 

These statistics may be changing as social expectations evolve. Younger generations are looking at the mistakes of older generations and entering marriage with a different perspective on gender roles and the importance of communication. In many cases, both partners have a stronger desire to enter marriage as a team, rather than following the age-old relationship expectations of the man as the breadwinner and the woman as the homemaker.

Contact an Oakland County Family Law Attorney

Regardless of your gender, it may be time to consider divorce if your relationship is beyond repair. Divorce is a difficult decision to make, and the process of legally dissolving your marriage can be lengthy and complicated. However, ending your marriage will allow you to leave a relationship that is not working and begin a fresh start to your life. If you are going through a divorce and have questions, our qualified Novi, MI divorce lawyers will review your case and listen to your concerns. Elkouri Heath, PLC prides itself on our thorough family law services. Contact us at 248-344-9700 today for a free consultation.

Source:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-new-resilience/201508/women-initiate-divorce-much-more-men-heres-why