Separation like many life events can have multiple causes. The most common reasons reported for divorce are infidelity, incompatibility, substance use and growing apart. Divorcing partners often blame their partner for being the principal reason for the separation.
The majority of men and women in this study mentioned affective dimensions of their marriage relationship - encompassing communication problems, incompatibility, changed lifestyle desires and instances of infidelity - as the main reason for their divorce.
It is no surprise, then, that marital infidelity is a leading cause of divorce. Just how common is marital infidelity? According to a study from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, as many as 25 percent of married men and 15 percent of married women have had extramarital affairs.
According to a recent survey of 191 CDFA professionals from across North America, the three leading causes of divorce are "basic incompatibility" (43%), "infidelity" (28%), and "money issues" (22%).
According to relationship therapist Aimee Hartstein, LCSW, as it turns out, the first year really is the hardest—even if you've already lived together. In fact, it often doesn't matter if you've been together for multiple years, the start of married life is still tricky.
The Four Horsemen are four communication habits that increase the likelihood of divorce, according to research by psychologist and renowned marriage researcher John Gottman, Ph. D. Those four behaviors are criticism, defensiveness, stonewalling, and contempt.
A study led by the American Sociological Association determined that nearly 70% of divorces are initiated by women. And the percentage of college-educated American women who initiated divorce is even higher.
What is the average length of marriage? On average, the length of a marriage in the U.S. is seven to eight years. Some states have a higher rate than others, but the divorce rate for the country is around 50%.
While there are countless divorce studies with conflicting statistics, the data points to two periods during a marriage when divorces are most common: years 1 – 2 and years 5 – 8. Of those two high-risk periods, there are two years in particular that stand out as the most common years for divorce — years 7 and 8.
The act of adultery continues to be one of the most common reasons for divorce.
Sexless marriage and divorce rates
According to some data, the divorce rate is around 50%.
In 2020, the median length from marriage to separation in Australia was 8.4 years. In the same year, the median duration of marriage to divorce was 12.1 years.
The most common age to get divorced is 40-49 years old. The median age at divorce has a low rate of increase over time, changing from 41.4 in 2000 to 45.6 in 2020 for men and from 38.6 in 2000 to 42.8 in 2020 for women.
Divorce rates for second marriages in Australia
The latest data on Australian divorces shows us that while only a third of first-time marriages end in divorce, around 60% of second marriages end in divorce.
The median amount of time that it takes someone to get married after a divorce is 3.7 years, which has been fairly stable since 1950. Sadly, the average length of time for second marriages ending in divorce will typically just under eight years.
Know your state's laws
If you live in a state with community property laws, such as Washington, California, or Texas, you could lose half of everything that's jointly owned in a divorce. In these states, marital assets — and debts incurred by either spouse during the marriage — are divided 50/50.
If you think that sexual infidelity is the leading cause of divorce, you've got it all wrong. We polled over 100 YourTango experts to see what they say are the top reasons married couples decide to split, and -- believe it or not -- communication problems came out on top as the number one reason marriages fail.
According to a 2013 study conducted by researchers at London's Kingston University, the majority of women were significantly happier than they'd ever been after divorce. The study surveyed 10,000 men and women over the course of two decades.
In the survey participants were asked to rate their happiness before and after their divorce. During a 20 year period, researchers found that women were happier and more satisfied with their lives after divorce.
Men have always been more likely to remarry than women, although this gap has closed somewhat. Today, 64% of men and 52% of women have remarried. However, when you split up the numbers by age, there's one group that is significantly less likely to get remarried: women over the age of 55.
The primary indicator of an invisible divorce is that even though the couple is legally married, they no longer share emotional or physical intimacy as they did earlier in the relationship. Their lives tend to resemble the relationship between co-workers or roommates, rather than an affectionate and married couple.
"If you're no longer spending any time together, if one or both partners is spending all their time at work, with friends, online — and if feels like a relief not to be with each other — it's a sign that you've already disengaged from the marriage." You don't support or listen to each other.