Divorcing Due to Adultery: What You Need to Know

What would you do if your spouse cheated on you? Your gut reaction may be to file for divorce. But is that what you would really do?

Not all adultery leads to divorce, but as many as 40% of marriages do end because of a physical or emotional affair.  Approximately 50% of unfaithful partners are still married, compared to 76% of faithful couples.

Why do people cheat? Most likely, it is because they are bored. Many couples are not sexually compatible and some are not getting their needs met, so they have sex with others. Sometimes people purposely look for sex, while in some cases, they cheat only because the opportunity presented itself. Of course, some people are just not monogamous. They don’t care about being faithful to their spouses.

Approximately 21% of men cheat, while 13% of women have been unfaithful to their spouses. While men are more likely to cheat than women, women are more likely to cheat if they are financially secure. With women more likely to get an education and become breadwinners nowadays, this has led to cheating on the rise among women, especially in the last decade.

So why does adultery often lead to divorce? Here are some of the biggest reasons.

Loss of Trust

Infidelity is a huge trust issue. If you can’t trust your spouse to be loyal to you, then what can you trust them to do? How will you know that you won’t cheat on you again? When a partner cheats on you, they suddenly become a stranger and this really hurts a marriage.

Refusal to Get Help

Infidelity often leads to divorce because the cheating never ends. Both spouses need to be committed to making the marriage work, so when the cheater continues to have affairs, the marriage cannot be saved. The cheating spouse cannot be trusted, so the other spouse files for divorce.

Adultery Reveals Underlying Marital Issues

Did your partner cheat on you because of marital issues, or did the cheating cause the issues? This is something you need to address with your spouse. Unless you can uncover the root cause of the infidelity, your marriage won’t be able to recover.

Too Much Denial and Anger

It can be hard to save a marriage when the faithful spouse doesn’t react appropriately. Some people are in so much shock that they are in denial. They don’t want to start an argument, so they pretend to be comfortable with the cheating.

On the other end of the spectrum, some people are so angry that it impedes their progress. They cannot save their marriage or move on. Anger is a very destructive emotion that needs to be kept under control.

 Seek Legal Help

Many couples end up divorcing when infidelity is involved due to a lack of trust. However, if you or your spouse has cheated, divorce is not your only option.

If you do make the decision to divorce, though, Fort Lauderdale divorce attorney Edward J. Jennings, P.A. can guide you through the process. Schedule a consultation today by calling 954-764-4330 or filling out the online form.

Resource:

signalscv.com/2019/11/research-how-many-marriages-end-in-divorce-because-of-infidelity/