Though divorce is often portrayed as an older woman being left by her husband for a younger woman, in over 70% of cases, it is the woman initiating the divorce. Women in Illinois have many reasons for bringing an end to a marriage, but their reasons usually fall into one of these categories.
Women can feel like they aren’t given room to flourish in their marriages. Now that most women have entered the workforce, they are finding career success and contributing to their families financially. Even so, studies show that women are still doing the majority of the chores around the house, including childcare. Wives can also feel like they have to downplay their career success so that they don’t outshine their husbands.
In addition to shouldering the burden of household chores, women tend to be the ones doing the emotional work of facilitating communication with their family and friends and helping others process their emotions. Because of this, they usually have an extended network of social contacts, leaving them less dependent on their husbands for emotional support whereas men usually rely on their wives as their sole source of emotional support.
Because they are less dependent on their husbands for both emotional and financial support, women today are less likely to tolerate poor behavior on the part of their husbands. No matter who initiates a divorce, it is often a time of emotional intensity. Couples who are divorcing may benefit from the help of lawyers experienced in divorce issues, such as spousal support, child support, parental relocation and property division. A lawyer may be able to help an individual navigate the legal issues in order to achieve the best outcome possible.