No Big Surprise—The Top Ten Reasons People File for Divorce
In a recent study that looked at more than a thousand divorces, the top ten reasons people sought to end a marriage came as no surprise. Here they are:
- Number 10: Money problems
- Number 9: One of the parties was physically or emotionally abusive
- Number 8: They had stopped doing things together
- Number 7: One or both or the parties had “changed”
- Number 6: The parties concluded that they had different needs, goals, desires
- Number 5: Communication problems
- Number 4: The parties didn’t love each other anymore
- Number 3: Marital conflict
- Number 2: One or both of the parties were unhappy
- Number 1: One of the parties cheated on the other party
According to the study, the average person spent more than two years contemplating divorce before actually taking the initiative to file, and would typically spend 18 months actively working to fix the marriage before deciding to call it quits. A little more than one-third said they did so because of their fear that divorce would be perceived as a personal failure. Nearly half said they tried to save their marriage for the benefit of their children. Almost 40% said they sought marital counseling because they believed that marriage should be forever.
More than half of those in the study admitted that they discussed the idea of divorce with someone other than their spouse before they talked about it with their partner. Among those they sought out for advice including friends, parents, siblings and attorneys.
Nearly four out of five felt that the divorce had a negative impact on their children, with about a third saying that children were typically not as close to a non-custodial dad after a divorce.
Contact the Law Office of Len Conner & Associates
At the Law Office of Len Conner Associates, we offer a free initial consultation in all family law matters, including issues relating to divorce. Send us an e-mail or call our office at (972) 445-1500 or 972-445-1500 if you’re in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Or call us toll free at (877) 613-5800 for an appointment.
