10 Percent of Divorced Couples Cite In-Laws as Biggest Problem

SAN DIEGO DIVORCE LAWYERS

British Study Reveals More than 10 Percent of Divorced Couples Cite In-Laws as Biggest Problem

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We have all seen television shows and movies for years depicting the in-laws as meddling, problematic, sometimes irascible people who are miserable to be around and who stop at nothing to cause problems. While we have learned to laugh at characters like these because that’s what the writers of these shows and movies intended for us, it turns out for many of us this form of ‘humor’ hit a little bit too close to home. A recent study completed in Great Britain revealed a surprising number of people got divorced because of their in-laws.

A legal service in the United Kingdom completed the study asking several questions of both married and divorced couples. It found that of the divorced couples, 11 percent of them cited problematic in-laws as the main reason they decided to pursue divorce. This percentage is much higher than most people would have expected and it likely reflects bigger divisions existed between these spouses, than personality conflicts between them and their parents.

However, when one looks more closely at the responses, it becomes somewhat apparent as to how this could ever happen. Many of the respondents believed their in-laws simply never accepted them into their family because of differences between them in a socioeconomic sense. Others cited differences in terms of political and religious beliefs that led to discord between them. Still others felt there were disagreements in major decisions the couples were trying to make, such as where they were going to live and whether or not they were going to have children.

While this is a surprising result, 11 percent was still a much smaller percentage than other causes of divorce found in the survey, including:

  • Infidelity
  • Financial disagreements
  • Political disagreements
  • Disagreements over children
  • Disagreements over roles in the marriage

There were still others, but when the family dynamic is not as it should be then disagreements or in-laws are going to create problems for any married couple that are very difficult to overcome.

To be sure, when a married couple decides to pursue a divorce because of problems with the in-laws, the problem is only going to get worse when the divorce process begins. There is no telling whether or not the percentage of American marriages that end for this reason is similar, but when a family engages in this type of fight it can be very difficult for almost anyone to handle. For this reason, individuals who are facing the end of a marriage need to take immediate steps to make sure their legal rights and interests are protected.

If you find yourself in this situation, you need to seek the help of San Diego divorce lawyers who have been standing up for the rights of husbands, fathers and non-custodial parents for many years. Contact the Men’s Legal Center today to schedule an initial consultation.

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