Divorce Much More Likely When Wife Becomes Ill
It’s a sad fact, but not so surprising. Marriages do tend to falter when one of the spouses fall sick, but when it is the wife who falls sick, the marriage is likely to be in much deeper trouble.
As it turns out, in sickness and in health is easier said than done. According to a new study by the Iowa State University, divorce rates spike when one of the spouses is diagnosed with a serious illness. The results of the study were published recently in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. The researchers found that couples, in which the wife became sick had a 6% higher risk of divorce, compared to those in which she remained healthy, and the husband fell ill. In fact, when the husband fell sick, it did not increase the risk of divorce at all.
Earlier studies have indicated that marriage provides both physical as well as mental health benefits for both of the spouses. However, when a woman falls sick, she's in danger of losing both of those benefits. The reason for a higher divorce risk when the wife is sick, could possibly be that the wife is typically the caregiver of the family, and when she is sick, becomes dependent on others for her care. Being seriously sick, means the difference between being too ill to fix dinner, and having to actually be fed by a family member.
When a husband takes on the responsibility of caring for a sick wife, it seems to add an additional stress to the marriage, because he's also very often, the primary earning member of the family.
Divorce is a traumatic life event, and it is critical to get the right legal guidance during this period. Speak to a Los Angeles divorce lawyer and discuss your case.