When saying wedding vows, couples typically say they will support each other in sickness and in health. They will be there for one another no matter what.
This is true for many couples. However, studies have actually found that sickness can increase the odds of divorce, meaning that many couples just decide to end their relationship at this time. Interestingly, this only applies to one gender.
The gender gap
What one study found was that a husband becoming ill did not increase the odds of divorce. This doesn’t mean that there weren’t any divorce cases. There were. But the odds of a marital split were less than if the husband had been healthy and the wife had fallen ill.
If a wife became ill, though, divorce was six percent more likely. Again, that doesn’t mean the majority of these marriages ended, but just that the odds were greater, suggesting that the wife’s illness played a role.
Exactly what role it played could differ from case to case. It could be that husbands are less likely to want to take care of their wives when they become ill, whereas women are more willing to become caretakers. It could also mean that women who got sick spent time thinking about what they really wanted in life, if health wasn’t a guarantee, and decided the marriage was not what they wanted.
Considering divorce and your rights
Are you and your spouse thinking about divorce, perhaps after a serious illness? If so, it is important that you understand all of the rights you have and the legal steps you need to take. You may need to consider property division, child custody options, medical debt and much more.
