Who Asks For A Divorce More Often, Men or Women?

Researchers have a gold mine of data when it comes to studying divorce and divorce trends. Two recent studies looked at who initiates divorce more often, men or women.

Surprise – both studies, one conducted by Stanford University sociologist Michael Rosenfeld and another produced by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for

Myra Chack Fleischer

Health Statistics (NCHS) found the vast majority of divorces in the U.S. were initiated by women. And the disparity is much greater than anyone anticipated.

According to the NCHS, about 80 percent of all divorces are legally filed by women. In the study done by sociologist Rosenfeld, a survey using data from 2009-2015 found 70 percent of marriages were initiated by women. In both studies, this applied to heterosexual marriages of all age ranges. It didn’t matter whether the couple was in their early 20s or in their 90s.

The important question to ask: why is this so? Can anything be done to affect it? Collaborative Family Law Group member Myra Chack Fleischer examines the issue in a recent column for Communities Digital News. Read more here. How does this match with your own experience among family, friends, or in your own circumstances?

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