Why Do Women Initiate Divorce?
Marriages don’t always work out. A lot of times, a failed marriage ends in divorce, even more so nowadays. Yet, for some reason, women are more likely to initiate divorce than men.
There have to be reasons that explain why so many women initiate divorce proceedings. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a significant difference between men and women when it comes to initiating proceedings. There can be many reasons, of course. No two marriages are the same. But some reasons are more recurrent than others.
Here is a list of the main reasons why women might be willing to initiate divorce.
Emotional Reasons
Men and women are socialized differently. Women are encouraged to talk about and engage with their own feelings. Men are not. This means that women end up doing most of the emotional work in their relationships. It can be exhausting to be someone’s sole source of emotional support, especially when you have no one to turn to for your own problems.
Women expect their partners to meet their emotional needs more than they actually do, which means that they have to emotionally support themselves, as well as their partners. What might make this worse is if their husbands aren’t supportive of them when it comes to their careers. This lack of support might hit deep. Having to meet both their own emotional needs as well as their husbands’ can definitely be a factor that pushes women into initiating divorce proceedings.
Unequal Housework
Even though both men and women work nowadays, women are still expected to do most of the work around the house. Whether it’s chores, raising children, or taking care of their spouse, women are usually the ones carrying out those tasks, even if they work full-time. That’s not to say there aren’t men who do their share of the housework. Of course, there are. But in a lot of cases, women are in charge of doing most, if not all, the housework. This is on top of having a full-time job. It’s this kind of difficult schedule that might push women to initiate divorce proceedings. If they already feel like they’re doing this alone, then why not make it official?
Financial Security
Women now are more financially secure than before. With most of them working full-time jobs and bringing their own money to the table, they don’t have to rely on someone else to pay for food or to keep a roof over their heads.
They are financially able to take care of themselves. So, if you can take care of yourself on your own, why would you stay in a marriage that isn’t working?
Divorce is an Option
While divorce is still stigmatized among certain circles, it definitely isn’t as stigmatized as it used to be. It’s a valid option to choose. So, when the marriage isn’t working, choosing to get a divorce is feasible. There might be one big reason why the marriage isn’t working, or there might be several. Maybe the husband isn’t pulling their emotional weight.
At Through Therapy Collective, we specialize in women’s therapy. Reach out to us today for support as you navigate your relationships and life changes.
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