Women in California and around the country are more likely to file for divorce than their husbands. According to a 2015 study by the American Sociological Association, more than two-thirds of divorces are initiated by women.
There are several reasons for this disparity, but overall, they all come down to the fact that in many cases, marriage has less to offer women than it does men. For example, even when both spouses work, almost half of women do housework daily compared to 20% of men. Furthermore, men often report feeling threatened by their wife’s success in the workplace when their wives start making more money than they do.
Women also tend to be the sole source of emotional support for their husbands while having multiple sources of emotional support themselves. This can make men less willing to leave the marriage. Women may also be less likely to put up with infidelity, abusive behavior and other problems than in the past since they no longer have to rely on their marriages for financial stability. Overall, women may expect more out of marriage than men. According to a 2017 study in the United Kingdom, where same-sex marriage has only been legal since 2014, more than three-fourths of such marriages that ended in divorce were between women.
When a marriage does end in a divorce, couples must agree on how they will divide property and what they will do about child custody or go to court. Since California is a community property state, shared property is supposed to be divided equally. This could include a home, retirement accounts and even a business. One person may also be required to pay alimony to the other if there was a significant disparity in income. Couples who are able to reach an agreement without going to court may find the process less expensive and time-consuming.