People often get married because they fall in love, desire companionship or want to start families. They may also marry out of a sense of cultural obligation or due to pressure from family members or romantic partners.
Spouses may eventually divorce for a variety of different reasons. Like marriage, divorce is very personal, even intimate. Quite a few people dealing with marital struggles may question whether their circumstances are serious enough to warrant contemplating divorce.
People who understand why others file for divorce may feel more confident about the decision that they have made about their marital circumstances. What are the top-cited reasons that people decide to file for divorce?
Infidelity
When one spouse learns that the other has established another intimate relationship, that can be the end of the marriage. Infidelity is consistently one of the most common reasons people divorce.
It can be very hard to continue trusting someone who has violated their vows and who has likely lied to hide their dalliance. Many people decide to divorce when they learn that a spouse has been unfaithful.
Financial incompatibility
Frequently, people end marriages due to financial issues. It is often a mismatch of personal financial priorities or practices that forces one spouse to call it quits.
For example, one spouse may waste money on unnecessary purchases, or they accrue a large amount of debt without consulting the other spouse first. Financial issues can leave people feeling unsafe in their marriages and may inspire them to sever the marital relationship.
Substance abuse
When one spouse drinks or abuses drugs, their habits have implications for the entire household. Substance abuse is often expensive. It can also lead to volatile behavior or job loss. If one spouse refuses to address substance abuse issues, the other may decide that they want to divorce.
Emotional volatility
The longer people live together, the more reactive they may become to one another. Factors including declining health or hormonal changes due to age can also contribute to changes in overall behavior, mood and personality.
Spouses sometimes grow apart instead of growing together if they take out their negative emotions on one another. Differing values or a shift in personal priorities can also inspire one spouse to file for divorce.
Thanks to no-fault divorce rules, those pursuing divorce don’t need to prove a specific issue. However, they do need to understand the process so that they have the resources necessary to rebuild their lives afterward. Learning more about divorce laws can help people as they explore the possibility of life after marriage.