Falling out of love has replaced affairs as the main reason for divorce, according to a survey conducted by accountancy firm Grant Thornton. 27% of divorces relate to couples falling out of love compared to the 25% that are a result of an affair. Startling!
Have we become more tolerant to extramarital affairs and are they beginning to be normal? Certainly, these statistics reflect a changing mood in society towards the sanctity of marriage and suggests that marriage which was once considered for life, is now a journey one falls in and out of.
Divorce isn’t as uncommon as it used to be in Asian households but I wonder whether these statistics apply. We are quite a tolerant ethnicity and I am sure it would take affairs or unreasonable behaviour (which is 17% of divorces) to make people part ways, wouldn’t it? And even then, many couples stay together forever. I was recently told of a story where an Asian husband after 20 years admitted to being addicted to oral sex and had been having affairs since he got married. His confession was because his mistress was pregnant and she was demanding financial help. The wife stayed with him but forbid him to see his mistress and daughter. She wouldn’t divorce him, but decided that an unhappy unloved life with a husband was better than a life without.
These statistics have left some questions in me about love, marriage and divorce. Are we always in love with our life partners? What would I do if I ever fell out of love with my husband?
Bunty
