Why are more men filing for divorce than ever before?

After several years of gentle decline, divorce enjoyed a comeback in 2016, new figures have revealed.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the rate of divorce rose by 5.8pc last year, compared to 2015, marking the first increase since 2010. Among the headline details, of the 106,959 divorces filed last year, the average age of divorcees rose to 46 for men and 44 for women, and the average duration of marriages ending in divorce was 12 years.

Perhaps most interestingly, though, is the fact that the number of men asking for divorces has increased once again, up to 39% (41,669) of all splits. It is a continuation of a steady rise since the early 1990s, when the proportion was just 27%.

But why might that be?

Women are having more affairs

In the ONS report, the most common grounds for divorce over the last year have been ‘unreasonable behaviour’ – a term that might cover everything from teasing you about your model railway to extramarital affairs.

And affairs, other data has shown, are on the rise among women. According to US research four years ago, the amount of infidelity committed by men has stayed fairly constant over the last few decades, whereas it has risen by 40pc among women. Three years ago, adultery website Ashley Madison also noted the rise in older women members.

Decades ago, women might have filed for divorce because their husbands were playing away. Is it now the other way around?

It’s easier for men now

Traditionally, men’s rights activists have complained that the entire divorce system is rigged against them, especially where children are involved. A few years ago, men were even heading to other EU countries in order to conduct divorces there, where they viewed the legal systems as more egalitarian.  

Numerous law firms now specialise in helping men during divorce, including American group Cordell & Cordell, which opened a London office in 2015 and seeks to redress what it views as an unfair system in UK family courts. Though welcomed by campaign groups like Fathers4Justice and likely a contributing factor in convincing some men to follow-through on divorce plans, law firms with male-only client lists remain controversial, especially to opposing campaigners, who see no reason to believe the family court system is biased.

Men open up more

Over the past few years, countless male celebrities have added their voices to calls for men to open up about their troubles. From Prince Harry to Rio Ferdinand, the message has been clear: if you’ve got a weight on your shoulders, share it.

Whether the breaking down of the male stiff upper lip has forced hordes of people to reassess their marriages and escape unhappy relationships is unknown, but it’s possible. It’s also possible men are confiding in one another so much that they’ve no need for romantic relationships anymore. A (small) study this week suggested that the modern-day ‘bromances’ now keep heterosexual men happier and more fulfilled than having partners – around whom they feel pressure to act in a dishonest, ‘manly’ way.

Men get richer from divorce

The age-old clichés about divorce talk of men being ‘taken to the cleaners’ and losing money. In reality, that isn’t true at all. Various sources suggest men actually profit from divorce, while, in general, women are severely worse off.

Consider this 2014 study by the University of Exeter, which found that women and children are hit by far the hardest when relationships break-ups. For various reasons, though – most probably lazy depictions of ‘ex-wives’ as scheming and calculated – the idea that women are improving their financial situation by divorcing has persisted.

“Women continue to see living standards fall by more after separation than men, especially when children are involved, but even for couples with no children," explained the study’s lead author, Professor Mike Brewer. "Mothers and children from high-income families see especially large drops in living standards, because the loss of the man’s earnings is in no way compensated for by higher income from alimony, child maintenance, benefits and tax credits, and having fewer mouths to feed.”