70% of Divorces Initiated by Women – Here Are the Results

Intellectual Takeout ^ | May 20, 2025 | Annie Holmquist

[DoodleBob]

‘Tis the season for weddings, and chances are the next several weeks will find many of us sitting in a lovely venue, decked in our best, watching a man and a woman pledge themselves to one another for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health.

The good news is that more of these sweet couples may remain true to their vows. Statistics from the Census Bureau show that U.S. divorce rates have dropped from 10.0 in 2008 to 7.0 in 2022. Although that drop could be caused by other factors (such as increased cohabitation rates), it is an encouraging statistic.

What’s not encouraging, however, is the statistic showing which partner tends to initiate divorce. Data shows that roughly 70% of divorces are now initiated by women. Each of us can likely affirm this number just from our own circle of friends – indeed, most of the divorces I’ve known about in the last decade were more prone to be instigated by the wife than the husband.

That’s tragic, particularly since many of these divorces seem to stem from boredom or dissatisfaction with the partner rather than truly dangerous situations where the wife must leave the marriage for safety’s sake. What’s even more tragic is that these same women, in instigating divorce, often seem to ignore the effects their choice will have on their offspring.

Just how negative the effects of divorce are on children is shown in a new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). The data presented only serves to underscore that divorce is a major blow to the stability of a child’s life … and the ripples of that instability will only spread as that child grows. Here are just a few of those negative effects:

• Median income in married-parent families registers around $70,000 per year. That drops to just over $40,000 for divorced-parent families.
• A decline in financial resources leads to other issues, one of which is less time with mom and dad, as both are forced to work more to cover costs. NBER finds that “mothers work 8 percent more hours after divorce, and fathers work 16 percent more after divorce.”
• Fewer resources also means poorer living situations, the report explains. “Even a decade later, children’s neighborhoods remain significantly below their pre-divorce quality.”
• This lack of time with parents and poorer living circumstances can naturally lead children to fall into bad company. Children from divorced homes experience a 63% increase in teen births, and “a 33 to 60 percent increase in incarceration likelihood” if they were between ages 5 and 20 when the divorce happened.

These are points of fact, scientifically presented by a leading research organization. Yet sadly, many seem to turn a blind eye to them, convincing themselves and others that their children will be far better off with divorced parents. Evidence of this tendency is seen in an X post highlighting the study where many commenters were left seemingly justifying divorce and trying to cast shade on the study’s results.

This reaction fits perfectly with what G. K. Chesterton said. “The definition of divorce, which concerns us here, is that it is the attempt to give respectability, and not liberty,” Chesterton wrote in “The Superstition of Divorce.”

Many women (and men, too) convince themselves that they will be free — free to live, laugh, and love as they want — if they only divorce their spouse and start fresh. But as the statistics above show, bondage, not liberty, is pretty much the assured outcome of divorce for both parents and especially children. And I would argue that this bondage extends beyond children to the nation as a whole.

Why is this?

“Marriage makes a small state within the state, which resists all such regimentation,” Chesterton writes.

That bond breaks all other bonds; that law is found stronger than all later and lesser laws. They desire the democracy to be sexually fluid, because the making of small nuclei is like the making of small nations. Like small nations, they are a nuisance to the mind of imperial scope. In short, what they fear, in the most literal sense, is home rule.

In essence, Chesterton is saying the family is a small nation, and the more we have of these tiny nations functioning properly and refusing to break apart, the more we as a large nation are able to resist tyranny, government overreach, and other breaches of our freedom.

It’s highly unpopular to question divorce these days simply because it’s an issue that affects many. None of us want to admit that our personal actions may have led to deleterious bondage being placed on many others. But if we want to push back on the tyranny and government overreach that has persisted in recent years, do we need to recognize that seemingly small, individual decisions – such as the decision to pursue divorce freely and fully – may be playing a larger part in the gradual loss of freedom the nation as a whole is experiencing?

—

The republication of this article is made possible by The Fred & Rheta Skelton Center for Cultural Renewal. 

[Pikachu_Dad]

You call those methods? Don’t be daft.

There is only the one year mandatory delay built into Louisiana law when children are involved.

But the attorney files to finalize the divorce and get a court date at the end of the delay. And. bingo. Divorce is done.

Now child custody, and property settlement may take more time.

The divorce, nope.

[Jamestown1630]

'He must be intelligent and not too hairy.'

You go, girl.

[DIRTYSECRET]

**I’d go to the shelter and get her a cat.**
Simple. I’d bring home a dog that doesn’t like cats.

[cgbg]

You may be right that many women believe they will be financially better off after divorce—but the numbers do not lie—they have a false belief.

There are too many pieces of their “plan” that can go catastrophically wrong.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

And how many women initiate divorce because he couldn’t keep his pants zipped?

[linMcHlp]

bkmk

[Responsibility2nd]

Ergo, denying such things, to UNWED MOTHERS, would hardly lead to “healthy,happy families”,now would it?

_____________________________________

Of course it would. When single welfare mamas learn they can no longer depend on Uncle Sam for hundreds of dollars in freebies each month, they will keep their legs closed.

Anything the state does to reduce welfare to single parent families will only grow healthy marriages and prosperous intact families.

[FamiliarFace]

Heard.

Thank you.

[linMcHlp]

BTTT:

"The family is a small nation, and the more we have of these tiny nations functioning properly and refusing to break apart, the more we as a large nation are able to resist tyranny, government overreach, and other breaches of our freedom."

[DoodleBob]

I don’t doubt the 70% statistic.

It’s the WHY that’s got the guys all twisted up.

The thing that’s odd about the article’s title, is the female author blames both spouses if you read the text. I think the title was designed to get clicks.

There is no shortage of women who are bad wives, nor men who are bad husbands.

We can bicker about the percentage …while society collapses and children suffer as straights blame the freaks for cultural implosion. Beams and splinters.

Or, we guys can man up and acknowledge our culpability.

[usconservative]

65% of those women fie for divorce file because they are bored or “just not happy”

#1 reason women file for divorce: "you don't make me happy anymore."

Free clue ladies: If you go into a marriage not happy with yourself and expect your husband to "make you happy" all the time, you're going to be sorely disappointed.

We men can't "make" you happy, we can only add to your happiness. That means you have to be happy already.

"Happy already" means happy with yourself, your life choices, your relationships, etc.. Dragging your low self esteem issues, poor life choices and baggage from failed relationships into a marriage expecting hubby to make everything perfect and "make you happy" is a recipe for disaster.

Period.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Of course it would lead to happier families. Wouldn’t be popping out babies with different daddies to get more Uncle Sugar payoff. That would mean more marriages to have children. It would be very beneficial for society.

[HombreSecreto]

Wow...not one shred of data where the woman contributed to the failure...

I’ll give that study all the consideration it’s due.

[FamiliarFace]

I think it works for both women and men. Some women want the wedding. They don’t want the marriage.

By the same token, some men are looking for a woman who will replace their mom, and they can have sex with.

Both of these attitudes are wrong, and will result in major problems down the road.

[nopardons]

No they won't; it's now part of GHETTO "culture", to such an extent, that it'll take generations to get that gone.

You need to watch Conservative black content creators on YouTube!

[MinorityRepublican]

Or, we guys can man up and acknowledge our culpability.

Nah. But you can blame it on LBJ. Really, the role of a father in an American family has been replaced by "Uncle Sam".

[tumblindice]

Edgelord, all women have an important nerve found in the finger next to the pinkie on their left hand.
It is unique to their sex. It runs up their arm then down through the torso to the groinocological region.
Gold short-circuits this nerve.

[ANKE69]

You must have been burned badly.

[packagingguy]

I was in a room of 26 plaintiffs in divorce court.

I was the only man.

I was tired of being treated like an ATM machine and she was plotting to take all my savings.

If she had been successful she’d be the one filing.

But she was European and figured an American would be too stupid to figure out the plan, as is typical for Euros to believe.

[Jamestown1630]

What a jaundiced notion of Holy Matrimony...

A lot of men and women do STILL marry for love.