August 2011
Featured in this insight: Financial services
Survey finds infidelity no longer main cause of divorce: This year’s annual matrimonial survey by accountancy firm Grant Thornton has revealed that for the first time so far, growing apart or falling out of love is the number one cause of divorce instead of infidelity.
In total, 27% of the divorce lawyers surveyed said growing apart or falling out of love is at the heart of most of their cases.
Infidelity, previously the primary cause of divorce, is now at second place (25%), followed by unreasonable behaviour at 17%, mid-life crisis at 10% and emotional or physical abuse at 6%.
Louisa Plumb, Associate Director of Forensic and Investigative Services at Grant Thornton, commented: "We are seeing an increasing number of celebrities putting up with alleged affairs in their marriage or relationship... It may be that this is starting to have an effect on the behaviour of couples affected by extramarital affairs, with more marriages than before surviving a bout of infidelity."
The survey further found that financial problems are the sixth worst marriage killer, although 82% of lawyers said their clients delayed divorcing their partner due to the recession, and 54% of those claimed a lack of personal assets was the main reason for this delay.
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