Women initiate most divorces; common causes and unequal domestic work

Time reports that women initiate 69% of divorces, according to social demographer Michael Rosenfeld’s analysis of 2,538 partnered, heterosexual adults in the U.S. A psychotherapist who leads in-person divorce support groups says that while every marriage and divorce is unique, many follow similar trajectories and that initiating divorce is often heartbreaking, legally and financially daunting, and stressful.

Societal norms and unequal distribution of household and parenting labor shape many couples’ experiences, the essay says. The American Time Use Survey found married women spend more time than men caring for children at every stage: when children are under six, women spend more than twice as much time on physical care and four times as much time on educational activities; when children are school‑aged, mothers spend three times longer organizing educational activities and nearly twice as much time transporting children.

Key Topics

Culture, Women, Divorce, Household Labor, Parenting, Coercive Control