Marriage vows typically say “in sickness and in health,” but the reality is that sickness is a big reason for divorce.
After all, a serious illness or disease — like cancer — can change a couple’s relationship drastically. Their roles in the family change. One person needs care and the other has to provide it. These may not be their natural tendencies. The changes can push couples apart, along with the pure stress of battling an illness for months or years.
What is interesting, though, is that at least one study makes it appear that things are not equal between the genders. When men got heart disease, cancer, lung disease or other significant diseases, the divorce rate stayed exactly the same. This perhaps shows that women are not more likely to leave their husbands when they get sick. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen, but it does not happen more than when they are healthy.
When women get these diseases, though, divorce rates jump by 6 percent. Are men more likely to leave their wives when a disease sets in? That’s what the study implies, though, it is, of course, possible that the sick spouse filed for divorce.
At the end of the day, it is simply important for people to recognize what types of life events often cause marriages to erode. Sickness is one of those events, and it can strike at any time. Even couples who have been married for years could split up, especially when women get sick. It is very important for all involved to know their legal rights during the divorce process.
Source: Health, “7 Life Events That Can Lead to Divorce,” Amanda MacMillan, accessed June 01, 2018