There are no rules about who can and cannot file for divorce. Thanks to no-fault divorce laws, the person who wants to end the relationship can simply cite irreconcilable differences to get the process underway.
However, when you look at the statistics, you’ll find that it is actually more likely for women to file for divorce than men. This is intriguing because divorce can sometimes have a larger financial impact on women, and yet they are still more likely to decide to end a marriage. Why is this?
Caregiving mismatches
A woman may, perhaps quite justifiably, feel like she is always being a caregiver. She may take care of the home, take care of her spouse and take care of her children. Additionally, she may have a job and many other obligations. In general, it is more likely that women feel that they are doing the majority of the work in the relationship, and they may file for divorce if this reality becomes overwhelming.
Financial independence
A positive reason that more women are filing for divorce is that they have more financial independence today than they did 50 years ago. In the past, when women were not as often a part of the workforce, they may have felt that they were dependent on their husbands simply to pay the bills. But today, women know that they have the ability to support themselves. This means that they have a lot more freedom to leave a relationship if they are unhappy. They do not feel as trapped in their relationships due to financial constraints.
Getting a divorce
These are just a few potential reasons for the differences in who files for divorce, but every case is ultimately unique. As a result, seeking personalized legal guidance is generally a good idea for those who are interested in filing for divorce and those who are responding to a spouse’s divorce petition alike.