FYI..I believe the study referred to middle class and upper middle class women who were traditional stay at home moms..after the kids were gone..hubby wanted out...no fault made it easy...just divide the assets..no longer any alimony..just a "maintenance" payment for a few years..what always happened was that the house was usually the biggest asset...the women went for it..basically they couldn't afford to keep it, or maintain their lifestyle....while their husbands usually hit their peak earning years after the divorce......I believe the study was reviewed in an article/book by Christine Hoff Sommers, but I could be wrong...
Well, I've known a few of those situations, where the high roller husband essentially decided to trade in the 40-something wife who'd become a shrew for a 10-20 year younger 'trophy wife'. But, far more common, I think, are the other situations where a woman decides she's had it with the guy, and gets everything.
Some insight from H.L. Mencken here: in his 1922 book In Defense of Women, Mencken points out that for women, marriage is much more an economic transaction than it is for men, they seek a good provider for themselves and any children they may bear, security and status. He also suggests that men are more romantic than women. That may seem counterintuitive, but I think it is essentially correct. Mencken also says that in marraige, typically, women are more consciously aware of settling for someone who doesn't meet their original expectations than men are. Think about these ideas in the context of the fact that most nofault divorces are initiated by women. Curious.