A study has concluded that women are more likely to initiate divorce when unhappy in marriage. Sounds strange, doesn’t it? Statistically, 69% of divorces are initiated by women, against just 31% initiated by men.
Women are often talked about as being more vocal about their feelings and more devoted to their families and husbands. They are also wired emotionally, placing their kids and family first. But they are also twice as likely to call it quits when it does not work. While you may think that the most common reason could be infidelity, the truth is cheating is not the only reason a woman may leave her husband.
Do check out – Qualities of a Good Husband
So what makes women call a marriage off and leave their husbands?
Top 7 Reasons Women Leave Their Husbands
Ending a marriage is a tough decision with financial, emotional, and mental repercussions. Men and women think and operate differently in a marriage, and being emotional, women tend to stay in unhappy marriages for a long before breaking it off. Women also try to save their marriages by being the first to take to therapy, while men stay blissfully unaware of the problems. Here are the top reasons why women end marriages and leave their husbands.
1. They feel emotionally neglected and disconnected from their husbands
Communication is the essence of every relationship, much so in a marriage. While a man feels happy having a home and getting good food at the end of the day, women have more emotionally drawn needs. Women feel that their husbands are ignoring them and not giving them enough attention or time, while men argue that these are unrealistic expectations and they deserve their time off without nagging.
This is a difference in perception, which can be sorted by communicating effectively. Since women feel their husbands dismiss their emotional needs as ‘unrealistic’ and neglect them, they leave their husbands.
2. They feel like a couple. They keep on fighting for the same things, again and again
Every couple argues and fights, which is a universal truth. However, when the arguments in a marriage are the same for years, women feel they cannot change anything and their needs are not being met. This results in resentment as they feel the husband stays aloof to everything they say.
Eventually, they start to feel disvalued and may look for support outside their marriage. Women like to feel they can impact a change; when this does not happen, they opt to end the marriage.
3. Dissatisfied with their sex lives
Women go through a realm of emotional and physical changes in marriage. From a new home to having kids and other familial responsibilities, women take on many of their hormones. Sexual well-being holds a lot of importance for a woman. Intimacy in a marriage can be a good measurement of the couple’s happiness.
When women tend to feel dissatisfied with their sex lives, it impacts them emotionally too. While women will first crib and complain about the lack of sex, they may eventually call the marriage off as sex is a form of an emotional connection for them. Lack of sex translates into emotional starvation for women who leave their husbands.
4. Women often complain about being the only one responsible for making the marriage work
After an argument, women do not get over it as easily as men. A man rarely carries the backload of an argument the next day, but a woman carries it forever. A man may not need to apologize, but a woman is looking for it. Slowly, she feels like she has been compromising and adjusting too much in the relationship and feels she is being taken for granted.
This feeling makes a woman feel that she is the only one working to save the marriage while the husband does not care. It can be frustrating when only one partner constantly works to keep a relationship alive while the other has set himself free. After a while, the weight of the relationship comes down heavily, and women opt out of marriage.
5. The difference in issues related to finances
Money in marriage holds a lot of importance by itself. But you are wrong if you think women leave their husbands for the lack of it. The money issue is not the lack of it in marriage but how it is managed. Some women feel they should spend wisely and save more, while the husband wishes to spend freely and enjoy life. It can also be vice-versa.
The issue arises because both spouses are not on the same page regarding money matters. If the woman wishes to invest in a house as security for the future, and the husband wishes to spend on a lavish holiday, arguments are bound to happen. The exact needs to be addressed by the couple by talking constructively and arriving at a consensus on managing their finances.
6. Women breakaway from controlling and abusive husbands
Abuse, demeaning, or controlling behavior or dominance of any partner in any relationship is lethal. The same holds for marriage. A woman may stay in an abusive marriage hoping it will change for the better, but she may walk away when it does not.
In the U.S. alone, a woman is beaten every nine seconds. Worldwide, 55 % and 95% of all women have taken abuse without seeking help. (Source) These numbers are astounding but, unfortunately, true. Abuse of any kind is unacceptable, and women should not be considered objects that need to be controlled. Many women who have faced physical, mental, and financial abuse in their marriages call it quits and move on.
7. They feel they have endured for a long
Women do not give up on relationships easily, but sometimes even the strongest women feel the need to walk away from marriages that have been hanging on them. Sometimes, women endure their responsibilities without any help or care from their partners, and despite their commitment and devotion, they have not received the love they deserve. This makes them feel dejected, and they call it quits even after years of marriage.
Challenges Women Face After Leaving Their Husbands
| Challenge | Description |
|---|---|
| Financial Independence | Having to sustain themselves financially without spousal support. |
| Emotional Security | Lack of emotional support unless they find a new partner. |
| Social Acceptance | Facing societal judgment, especially in Eastern cultures. |
| Peer Group Rejection | Being viewed as a threat by married women in social circles. |
| Starting Over | Beginning life again after a difficult marriage. |
Other Details
What does a woman face when she leaves her husband?
- She has to fend for herself. Financially, she has to sustain herself.
- Emotional security is not there unless and until she decides to marry again or find solace in another man.
- In the East, socially, she finds much resentment from society, and acceptance by the peer group is a problem she has to face.
- Married women may not appreciate her and feel it threatens their marital security.
- One has to begin life all over again. A bad marriage sometimes can make a person lose interest in life itself. Sometimes the woman may not be able to trust another man.
Further Thoughts on the Reasons Why a Woman Leaves a Man
- If the spouse is an alcoholic, and the woman finds it difficult to live with him, she decides to seek divorce.
- Incompatibility.
- The husband having an affair with another woman.
- Boredom with existing relationship.
- Falling in love with somebody else.
- Professional pressures. The wife may like to pursue her professional interests, which the husband may not like.
- A woman may want to leave a man who cannot sustain the family financially.
- Abusive nature of the husband
Traditionally women prefer to stick to their husbands as they enjoy emotional and financial security. Socially in some countries, divorce is looked down upon. In Eastern countries, women hesitate to seek a divorce, although now the urban woman is finding this as a way out of bad marriage. Yet socially, she does face a lot of problems. In the West, divorce is very common.
There comes a point when they decide they would instead opt-out than endure the marriage, even for one day. In the hope of living a better life that is not as disappointing as the marriage, women end it with their husbands.
A happy wife is a must for a happy life. This is an adage that holds even today and for ages. Marriage needs to be a continued commitment to both the partners involved, and both need to keep working on it to keep it alive and refreshing. Connect with your wife not just physically but emotionally. Know her needs and desires, and make marriage the best decision of her life.
4 Comments
Why do Women Leave their Husbands? This is one of the difficult question to answer. In my opinion there are many reasons but one of them which might not be so big but has a substantial role in the relationship is hygiene. Men do not keep in shape, they are not tidy, are not interested in cleaning things etc. One of the other big reason is infidelity and cheating. One of the other reason is women’s pre-midlife crisis.
In my opinion neglect is the most common cause why do women leave their husbands. Some of the top forms of neglect are emotional and physical. men get so much engrossed in their work that they forget that would have some physical requirements too. Emotionally, husbands neglect their wives by doing work for longer hours, going out for works for weeks etc. Men forget birthday’s of women, anniversary etc. which might be small for me but matters a lot for women.
i am beside myself. One dat last March 2010, my wife of 41 years said : ” I will no longer be sleeping in our bedroom.” when asked why she told me other couples live in separate bedroom. At first I thought it was a phase or a one time thing. Now two years later I am still leaving in separate room. She still has giving any reason other the the one mentioned above. I’m I wrong to not be upset about the situation? She says I just don’t get it!!
many women will leave their husbands because, usually the husband will be cheating on her. there are many men that are very abusive as well. but today, many women nowadays are cheating too, and will go with different men. very sad, especially if they have children. so many women too are leaving their men to be with another woman instead, since their spouse is not that affectionate.