Divorce Study Reveals Who Initiates Breakups Most Often

 Posted on October 16, 2015 in Divorce

A new divorce study reveals that women are more likely to file for divorce than men are in heterosexual marriages, however, the same does not hold true when it comes to heterosexual couples who live together without marrying.

The study was conducted by researchers from Stanford University, who conducted a survey of 2,262 adults, ages 19 through 64, who had partners of the opposite-sex. The survey, titled "How Couples Meet and Stay Together," contained relationship questions which spanned the years from 2009 through 2015. By the end of the survey, 371 of the participants had broken up with their partners, with 92 of those breakups between couples who were married.

The results of the surveys revealed that women initiated the majority of participant divorces - 69 percent. This result was not a surprise for researchers, since it is similar to other divorce studies which have been conducted, both in this country and in Europe.

However, what did surprise researches is that the same result did not hold true for non-married couples who broke up. In those cases, it was equal between the genders over who initiated the breakup - the man or the woman.

There was also a difference in the satisfaction levels of participant relationships. For those participants who were married, there were more women who said they were dissatisfied with their marriage than there were men expressing that sentiment. For participants who were not married, the relationship satisfaction and dissatisfaction were equal between the men and the women.

When presenting the results of the survey, the lead researcher suggested the reason for the differences may be because despite the strides of gender equality and shared roles in relationships, there is still often an unequal power dynamic that exists in traditional marriages. For example, wives are usually younger than their husbands and typically earn less money. It is still very common for wives to take their husbands' last names upon marrying. Other studies reveal that the majority of child rearing and household chores are still up to the wife. Many of these issues do not exist for cohabitating couples, who appear to have a more even power dynamic in their relationships.

Whether you are considering a divorce, or your spouse has initiated one, contact an experienced DuPage County divorce attorney. Contact the law office of Stock, Carlson, Flynn and McGrath, LLC at 630-665-2500 to speak to an attorney today.

Sources:

http://time.com/4007174/which-spouse-asks-for-divorce/

http://www.livescience.com/51950-women-tend-to-initiate-divorces.html