On behalf of Cooper & Tanis, P.C. posted in divorce on Tuesday, August 25, 2015.

When a couple in Colorado divorces, a woman likely dissolved the marriage because nationwide 69 percent of divorces are at the behest of the wife. When researchers studied which genders motivated breakups of romantic partnerships, they expected the results to skew to the female side in both marriages and non-marital relationships. However, men and women proved to be equal sources of breakups when dating or living together. Only marriage caused more women than men to end the relationship.

A survey of 2,262 adults in opposite-sex relationships collected answers on relationship questions between 2009 and 2015. The results revealed the gender shift that takes place when marriages end. A lead author of the study, an associate professor of sociology at Stanford University, said the original hypothesis had assumed the “heightened sensitivity” of women would make them more aware of relationship difficulties and therefore prompt them more often to initiate separation.

The results, however, did not support this notion. Instead, researchers identified the persistent gender inequality within marriage as the reason more women ended marriages when compared to other relationships. With the bulk of household chores and child care still falling upon married women, they appeared to have more reasons for dissatisfaction.

A person considering a divorce would likely want to discuss the situation with an attorney. A divorce triggers many legal issues that govern how property and debts must be divided and how child custody and support will be determined. An attorney could assist the client in negotiating an equitable split of assets. Complexities such as business ownership, non-marital assets and retirement accounts often require the long-term financial consequences to be taken into account when negotiating a settlement agreement.