Husbands closing the gap when it comes to parting ways
Men are becoming more likely to be the ones to initiate divorce proceedings
NEARLY two-fifths of divorces in 2018 were filed by the groom.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 34,577 divorces in England and Wales were initiated by men that year, the latest figures available.
That is 38% of 90,871 divorces.
While that’s similar to the previous two years (38% in 2017 and 39% in 2016), the proportion has been steadily increasing since 1992.
That year, just 28% of divorces were filed by men.
In 2018, unreasonable behaviour was the most common reason for both parties to ask for a divorce.
There were 12,694 divorces granted to husbands for this reason (37% of all divorces instigated by men) and 29,149 to wives (52% of divorces instigated by women). Unreasonable behaviour has consistently been the most common reason for wives to ask for a divorce since the late 1970s, while for husbands it has only been the most common since 2006.
Prior to that, the most common reason for men to file for divorce was after two years of separation with consent - meaning both parties agree on the circumstances.
That is now the second most common reason for both spouses.
It is still a more common ground for men to use - 11,181 divorces were granted to grooms for this reason (32% of the total number) and 13,088 to brides (23%).
Divorces after five years of separation, without consent, were also granted to men more often than women.
In 2018, there were 7,097 divorces granted for this reason to husbands (21% of the total number) and 7,473 to wives (13%).
Women are slightly more likely to cite adultery as their reason for wanting a divorce.
It accounted for 5,934 divorces filed by brides (11% of the total) and 3,271 by husbands (10%).
Divorces for desertion were also granted to 125 men and 226 women.
Desertion occurs when one person has left the other without agreement or for a good reason for a continuous period of at least two years.
In 2018, the number of divorces between opposite-sex couples decreased by 11% compared with 2017, when there were 101,669.
It is also the lowest number since 1971.
The divorce rate fell from 84 divorces for every 10,000 married heterosexual couples in 2017 to 75 per 10,000 in 2018.
The average duration of marriage among opposite-sex couples who divorced in 2018 was 12.5 years.