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Reason for Divorce is 'Unreasonable Behavior,' and is Most Cited Cause According to New Study


A recently completed study revealed that adultery is no longer the leading cause of divorce, but rather what has been come to be classified as "unreasonable behavior."

The study was conducted by the United Kingdom's Cooperative Legal Services which studied divorce trends in the U.K. for the fast four decades. Their research found that couples now filing for divorce cited "unreasonable behavior" in 47 percent of divorce cases.

By comparison, during the 1970s it was only cited in 28 percent of cases. The study also showed the declining rate of divorce based in infidelity. The research figures showed that 15 percent of divorces cite infidelity as the reason whereas in the 1970s adultery was cited in nearly 30 percent of divorce cases.

The term "unreasonable behavior" is broad and can be any number of things depending on the relationship and situation. However, the study cited a few cases that constituted such actions. One example involved a husband who made his wife feel guilty for going out with friends. Another cited unreasonable behavior due to a cross-dressing husband who had underwent a sex change. Yet another revealed that a spouse had taken out the family's savings and burned it in a bedroom.

The National Fatherhood Initiative conducted a similar study in the U.S., and asked divorced individuals why they decided to end their marriages. That study also found that adultery wasn't the most cited reason for divorce in the United States. 73 percent of couples used in their study blamed their divorces on a "lack of commitment" and 56 percent cited the reason for divorce as being due to too much arguing.

Notable pastor Greg Laurie, of Harvest Church in Riverside, Calif., has spoken on the issue of divorce before and has offered his thought regarding why divorce rates are so high.

"You can't neglect the maintenance of your marriage. Marriage needs work. If you see a strong and vibrant marriage … that did not happen by accident," the pastor previously said.

"If you had to sum up in one word why marriages are breaking today, it would be this." That's because we make marriage all about us. "What can you do for me? How can you fulfill me?" How can you meet my needs… marriage is not so much about finding the right person as much as it is about being the right person," he said.


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