Bruce Anderson Law

(702) 598-2029
6655 W. Sahara Ave., Suite B200, Las Vegas, NV 89146
  • Home
  • About
    • Blog
  • Affordable Divorce
  • Publication Divorce
  • Annulment
  • Name Change
  • Contact Us

December 31, 2015 By bandlaw

Top 5 Reasons Couples Divorce

Marriage ends in Divorce

Marriages are never easy and whether we like it or not, stress will find its way into even the healthiest of relationships. Traumatic life events and even everyday challenges can often cause imbalances in a relationship, leading to marital issues and eventually divorce. Being aware of these factors and knowing how to spot any red flags when they arise can be essential when determining whether or not a problem exists.

Marriage ends in Divorce

While there are countless reasons why couples decide to separate, the following five are some of the most reported factors contributing to divorce:

#5 Living Apart

Being separated can take its toll on any relationship, and marriages are no exception. Studies show that living apart, be it due to careers or familial obligations, can leave couples doubting the strength of the relationship. When compared to their civilian counterparts, military couples especially tend to experience an increase in marital strife when separated by deployments, relocations, and the like. In these types of cases, there are often a lot of other contributing factors as well, such as stress, PTSD, and other issues that can arise both during deployments as well as after the homecoming.

It’s also important to note that not all couples who live apart will experience trouble. For some, distance is not an issue, and when both individuals have the same level of comfort with the arrangement, the result can be just fine. However, it’s not uncommon for living apart to raise questions of trust and fidelity, which can cause emotional separation as well as the obvious physical distance.

#4 Job Changes

Unemployment or changes in an individual’s job situation is yet another common reason why couples eventually call it quits. According to a recent study performed by Ohio State University, men and women are more likely to leave their spouses when the man is unemployed. However, job loss is certainly not the only “change” that can cause issues.

Stressed about bills
Stressing about money worsens things.

In reality, any alteration in a couple’s financial situation or schedule can cause a problem which may lead to irreconcilable differences in the future. With each new job comes new responsibilities, and it’s all too common for jobs to become priority one while the marriage falls to the back burner.

#3 Having a Baby

Kids can be a big point of contention for many couples. Even for those spouses who agree on whether or not to have kids and how many kids they wish to have, the challenges are certainly far from over. The stress of caring for a newborn and for young children can leave quite a mark on a marriage. In fact, according to the Journal of Family Psychology, approximately 67 percent of all couples admitted a decline in their marital bliss within the first few years of their child’s life. The birth of a child and the readjusting to a new routine and schedule can be especially difficult for those parents who’re already prone to stress, anxiety, or depression.

Child Custody

#2 Illness

Illness is yet another common cause for discord between spouses. When a spouse becomes sick, especially if the illness is a prolonged one, it’s often necessary for the other spouse to take on more responsibilities and ramp up their efforts in the relationship. From increased financial stress to the overall pain of it all, illness can have a wide and varied impact on the couple and their marriage.

There is some evidence that suggests that the sickness of a female spouse can have a more detrimental effect on the marriage. According to a study performed by Iowa State University, couples were six percent more likely to get divorced when the wife had a serious illness, such as heart disease or cancer.

#1 Infidelity

Infidelity can have an enormous impact on any relationship, be the affair physical or emotional. While some couples are able to work through an affair and even use the incident as a catalyst for seeking the help they need, acts of betrayal such as these are often seen by the offended party as the “straw that broke the camel’s back”, leading the couple to divorce. In particular, affairs that have gone on for extended periods are often the hardest for couples to work past.

Filed Under: Divorce

November 25, 2015 By bandlaw

Elder Divorce

New Trend Among Elderly

Young couples are not the only couples getting divorced these days. There are an increasing number of late-life divorces.   According to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, just last year people 50 and over were twice as likely to seek a divorce than in 1990. The number of divorces were even greater at age 65 and older. This is an interesting phenomenon, because there was a noticeable decrease in divorce rates among other age groups.

Close-up portrait of an elderly woman in her home.
Close-up portrait of an elderly woman in her home.

Why are more elderly couples separating?

While this is an interesting trend, there are a number of possible explanations for this movement. Quite a number of elderly individuals are in second marriages. For people that have remarried, the divorce rate is nearly two and a half times greater. Second marriages create a wide variety of financial and familial challenges.

Another possible explanation is that people are living longer nowadays than in years past. When people’s life expectancy was not as long, it may have incentivized people to stick it out. But now, when people are in their 50s and 60s and have life expectancies into the 80s and 90s, it might make people question whether they want to remain in a stale marriage for 30 or 40 more years.

Societal attitudes towards divorce have also undergone tremendous change. It is no longer considered a stigma for a married couple to decide to go their separate ways after many years of marriage. Many prominent politicians have done just this. Presidential candidate Al Gore and Tipper Gore were married for 40 years and separated in 2010. Alabama governor Robert Bentley and Dianne were married for 50 years and filed for divorce just one month after their golden anniversary.

The Independent Woman

But the leading explanation for why divorce rates among the elderly are up is the changing status of women in society. AARP data reveals that 60 percent of women take the first step to initiate divorce proceedings. This represents a huge transformational shift that defies the traditional role of women.

As women become more financially independent and no longer rely on men for financial support, women have assumed a more liberated, empowered role in society. Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, 54, observes that,

“I think men don’t want to rock the boat, and they’ll put with a less-than ideal situation.”

Because women now have greater participation in civic and working life, they are less willing to settle for a mediocre situation. Instead, these women break from unsatisfying relationships and look for better or more fulfilling relationships in other people.

Empty Nest

There is ample support for the proposition that women are no longer willing to merely “settle.” Dr. Schwartz, a sociologist, has articulated that “Women have higher expectations for their emotional life.” Dr. Schwartz, age 70 herself, has attested to divorcing her husband of 23 years because “the marriage had run out of juice.”

By the time couples reach their golden years, the children are usually out of the picture. The oft-cited reason to keep together an unhappy marriage for the children’s sake is absent in the case where the children are grown up and living their own lives. Once the children are independent, many people feel that they no longer need to stay together “for the kids.”

Child Custody

Sometimes, after many years of marriage, couples simply grows apart. Celia Jeffries was married at the tender age of 20 and split with her husband after thirty-seven years of marriage. Ms. Jeffries explains that the reason for the break up was that “he went in one direction and I went in another.”

While some couples grow old and develop together, others experience that they begin to have less and less in common.  So, as other age demographics are sticking with marriage, it is a new pattern evidenced in America’s elderly population for finding hope even after society suggests they are ‘too old’ to find new love.

Filed Under: Divorce

November 24, 2015 By bandlaw

Live-In Divorce

The New American Trend

When people think of divorce, what usually comes to mind is immediate separation. But there is a growing trend these days that has couples sharing their home while divorce proceedings take place.  In some instances, it’s easier on the children. Trying to keep a normal appearance becomes paramount to how the couple feels about one another, and in many cases the children may not be aware divorce proceedings are going on.

Adoption

In fact, some therapists advise couples not to tell the children about divorce plans until they are finalized, and one parent leaves the home.

While this questionable trend is gaining acceptance among estranged couples, there are problematic issues involved in this complex and unusual situation.

The Reasons Behind the Trend

According to the New York Law Journal, it’s conservatively estimated that more than 50 percent of couples in the midst of a divorce are still living with one another. The reasons vary, but the most common include today’s high cost of living, difficulty in finding affordable housing, a flat housing market, and more importantly recent decisions by courts regarding child support, custody arrangements, the division of property, and occupancy rights.

While there’s no doubt most couples divorcing would rather live apart during the proceedings, circumstances often dictate otherwise.    As a result, couples live together anywhere from eight months to three years after finalizing a divorce. For the majority of couples who look back on their experience, they often wonder if it was worth the toll it took on them emotionally and financially.

Why This Strategy Is Recommended

Strange as it may sound, divorce lawyers recommend the live-in divorce strategy to their clients. The major reason for this is to hopefully use the force-your-opponent-out-strategy to get the best possible settlement for their clients, but that doesn’t always happen. In fact, many couples who endure months or years of co-habitation sometimes find they end up with the same settlement they would have gotten much earlier in the proceedings.

However, lawyers note that while one spouse may not be able to lose their financial stake in a house, they may give up their right to live there by doing so. In addition, the departing spouse may be penalized by the IRS come tax time.

When a house finally sells after a divorce, the spouse who left will not be able to claim it as their primary residence, thus being liable for capital-gains taxes.

Does the Strategy Lead to Faster Settlements?

While it would be logical to assume that people who don’t like one another would speed to settlements faster in order to get away from one another, some lawyers and clients feel the opposite is true.

As couples stay together and begin to watch one another lead separate lives, they tend to become more polarized. Emotions upstage logic, leading to more cumbersome, drawn-out negotiations. Couples who use this strategy often find themselves having to remind themselves of the ultimate goal, since the day-to-day arrangements often involve high levels of stress day and night.

How Are Children Impacted?

While some people believe not telling children about the divorce until the last minute is fine, many therapists have a different viewpoint. Experts generally agree children are essentially living in a war zone and inevitably subjected to unnecessary stress. However, due to the financial necessities, parents tough it out hoping that, in the long run,  their children benefit.

While these arrangements have become more common as a result of a higher cost of living, couples who consider divorce should carefully examine all legal options before deciding to use this strategy. While the results vary greatly from couple to couple, the choice to do so ultimately rests with the people involved.

I Need a Divorce

Answer the divorce questionnaire below and click Request Consultation. Everything you say will be kept strictly confidential. Thank you for considering Bruce Anderson to represent you.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Filed Under: Divorce

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Free Consultation Request

Get Directions

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Office Location

6655 W. Sahara Ave., Suite B200
Las Vegas, NV 89146
(702) 598-2029

Area of Practice

  • About Our Divorce Attorney in Las Vegas
  • Annulment Attorney in Las Vegas, NV
  • Blog
  • Contact Las Vegas Divorce Lawyer
  • Divorce Questions
  • Low Cost Divorce Lawyer in Las Vegas
  • Name Change Lawyer in Las Vegas, NV
  • Publication Divorce Lawyer in Las Vegas

Copyright © 2023 · D. Bruce Anderson Law · Powered By Yokel Local · SOS License # NV20101507517 · NV Bar #3011 · Las Vegas Business License # P50-02946