A survey by one of the UK's leading law firms has surprisingly revealed that infidelity is not the leading cause of divorce, it's the mundane daily chores that causes most marriage break-ups.
The survey was conducted by HBJ Gateley, which has offices in London, Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dubai among others.
The firm surveyed 350 people who had been through a divorce, examining past case notes to establish the cause for the break-up.
The analysis revealed that seven in ten marriages fall apart because couples struggle to make key decisions on issues relating to the marital home.
Common causes for irreconcilable disputes include household finances, where the couple should live or how the responsibilities for keeping the family going should be divided.
By contrast, the survey revealed that only one in five marriages end because of the infidelity of one or both spouses.
The firm has advice for married couples wishing to live a long life together, saying that they should treat marriage like a business merger, talking through domestic issues and looking to play to the strengths of each person whilst making compromises for the benefit of the union.
The most common single reason for divorce was financial and the least common a disagreement on where the couple want to live.
Elizabeth Hassall is a partner at Gateley and head of the family law division.
"It's romantic to be walking down the aisle, but the realities of a 'merger' are a little more cut and dry," she told The Telegraph.
"It is often the case that people simply don't think about it, or feel comfortable discussing life choices, but what is apparent is that going into a marriage blind could be a recipe for disaster," she added.
Source:
Most marriages break down over mundane household chores (The Telegraph)
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