The life of married couples all over the world involves numerous positive and negative events. Even though people can be sincere when speaking their wedding vows, divorce does not belong to extraordinary events since many factors are affecting the health of marital relationships. Classifying the causes of divorce can be difficult since they are unique in every single case, and not all couples state them explicitly. However, based on the character of events preceding the divorce, it is possible to single out three categories of causes such as domestic abuse, infidelity, and other types of disappointed expectations.
It often happens that divorces occur due to spouses’ bad relationships and infidelity. The first category of reasons to file for divorce includes a large number of cases related to infidelity. Although many couples that would like to obtain a divorce due to one or both sides’ infidelity prefer to keep it out of the public eye, breakups related to this category are quite common. Divorces that are fully or partially caused by marital unfaithfulness can be divided into numerous sub-categories. For instance, they can take place due to one or both spouses’ extramarital affairs. Also, it is possible to single out some subcategories based on the character of adulterous affairs, be it one-night sexual encounters, long-term extramarital relationships, or even having “secret” children.
Apart from the violations of oaths related to fidelity, divorces can be caused by several situations referring to abuse and violence in relationships. Thus, the second group of causes explaining people’s willingness to get divorced refers to numerous circumstances dealing with domestic violence and abuse. In modern society, the perceptions of individuals who experience abuse sometimes involve victim-blaming and other harmful tendencies.
With that in mind, it is valid to say that some people filing for divorce due to their spouses’ violence want to keep the situation a secret if it does not involve danger to health or life. This category is comprised of a large number of sub-categories referring to different forms of violence. Speaking about the most common of them, it is necessary to list such aspects of domestic violence as physical, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse (marital rape).
The next category of reasons for divorce is quite broad and refers to the conflict of reality vs expectation as it relates to family life. The so-called “unmet expectations” can be called a separate category since particular causes that fall into it do not involve criminal or morally condemnable acts as in the case with the previous categories. Concerning the sub-categories and examples, spouses can fail to meet each other’s expectations in a variety of ways. In some situations, even people’s appearance can become a point of dispute. For instance, one spouse’s weight issues or aesthetic problems after pregnancy, illnesses, or traumas can sometimes contribute to problems in relationships and lead to divorce.
Similar causes in this category include one person’s financial struggles or issues with career development that cause another side’s discontent. Finally, there is a sub-category that can be referred to as poor interpersonal or sexual compatibility. It involves irreconcilable differences in people’s personality traits, tastes, needs, and views on sexual life that lead to frequent conflicts and can result in divorce.
To sum up, the known causes of divorce can be divided into three categories such as infidelity, domestic violence, and unmet expectations. Also, each of these categories has at least three subcategories referring to specific circumstances that present the bone of contention. Among them are different types of conjugal infidelity based on the length of relationships and the key forms of domestic abuse. The third category related to expectations includes the causes for divorce based on unwanted changes in appearance, financial/career difficulties, and spouses’ incompatibility in terms of personality and sex life.