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Causes of divorce

Posted on November 5th, 2020
Get over divorce heartbreak

Falling in love is special and getting married is often one of the most wonderful days of our lives and it can seem as if nothing could ever tear this relationship apart. No one gets married with the intention of getting divorced, but unfortunately, marriage problems are a reality, and many studies show that between 40-50% of marriages end in divorce.

If you are facing or going through a divorce, even though you’ve tried marriage counseling or have seen a relationship coach, it can all seem incredibly overwhelming. Many married couples feel a sense of failure when their relationships don’t work out, but it’s important to realize that you aren’t alone.

I’ve put together a list of the leading causes of divorce to show you common reasons people give for the breakdown of their relationships. It’s important to understand that your relationship isn’t the only one that has not made it, or if you are in fact still married, seeing a common source of divorce could help you to navigate your way to a better place in your relationship.

Who is most likely to get a divorce?

Divorce doesn’t just come down to direct causes, as there are also some predetermined factors that have been picked up in numerous studies, such as the Oklahoma 2001 Baseline statewide survey on marriage and divorce. The following factors have been determined to create a higher risk of divorce among married couples:

• Marrying young: We don’t always make the best decisions in our youth and it’s proven that getting married too young is one of the top causes of divorce, especially in the early years.
• Low income and limited education: Money woes and financial insecurity put pressure on a marriage. Limited education often means low-income jobs, and this leads to more money-based arguments.
• Premarital pregnancy: Couples that get pregnant before marriage often feel pressured into it. This means that they aren’t always the right fit and just get married because of the pregnancy. This seems less prevalent now than it did a decade ago, however.
• Divorced parents: Having divorced parents doubles your risk of divorce and if both partners’ parents are divorced, this rate triples. Having divorced parents doesn’t mean you will definitely get divorced, but you should be more aware of the red flags.

What are the top causes of divorce?

Now that you know some of the predetermined factors that could increase the risk of divorce, here are the top reasons that happy marriages end in divorce:

Finances

There’s nothing that can tear people apart quite like money; friends, family, and loved ones can turn against each other in the blink of an eye when it comes to finances. Incompatibility with spending, unequal incomes, and other financial problems are often a common final straw in a marriage. A once happy marriage can become an unhappy one very quickly when there’s an economic downturn or if one spouse may have made bad financial decisions.

Infidelity

Any successful partnership is built on a foundation of trust and when you break that trust, the very building blocks of your marriage are shaken, if not completely destroyed. When one partner goes outside of the marriage in search of emotional or physical comfort, it is hard to forgive and more often than not, will lead to the breakdown of a marriage.

Communication problems

One of the most common problems cited for divorce is lack of communication, or that communication problems have increased. Women, in particular, seem to chalk this down as a bigger factor than men do. Communication could be anything from seemingly small daily issues to bigger topics like religion, sex, money, and more, that are often ignored.

Intimacy issues

Intimacy is a massive part of any marriage and when this starts to fade away, it’s usually got its root causes in something more serious. This could be infidelity, trauma from the past, inability to become sexually aroused, illness, and much more.

Addictions

Drug abuse or any substance abuse is hard to live with and having a spouse that is addicted to drugs, alcohol, shopping, gambling, sex, or something else can be incredibly devastating if treatment isn’t sought out. Addictions are one of the leading causes of divorce.

Abuse

Domestic abuse doesn’t have to be physical; it can also be emotional and even financial. This is a very serious situation that no one should feel the need to stay in and is most likely to end in divorce.

Incompatibility

This is often a part of the communication issue factor. Some couples get married and then later down the line realize that they actually don’t have that much in common and don’t really have a lot to talk about. This is when growing apart becomes a reality and the stage where most couples will file for divorce with the agreement of both partners.

These are just some of the top causes of divorce from around the world, but keep in mind that every divorce is different, and your feelings could be unique to your situation. At Naked Divorce, we have created a program to specifically help people like you get through the divorce process and come out the other side feeling confident and accomplished.

You are not alone in your divorce and we are here to guide you along every step of your divorce journey to a wonderfully exciting future.

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