Addiction, infidelity among common divorce reasons

While California marriages may end for many reasons, the causes of most divorces fall under just a few categories. Money problems are a common reason for divorce. Poverty can be stressful but so can large disparities in income, including if a woman makes significantly more than her husband.

Marriages also end because of infidelity, whether it is a one-time incident or something that happens many times. An affair might also be emotional. Addictions to things like drugs, gambling and work can also put an end to a relationship.

Experts say that all of these scenarios can be survived if couples are able to work together. However, in some cases, a couple simply reaches the point where they are incompatible or have irreconcilable differences. There could be serious religious contrasts or differences in where the couple wants to live. Others may have tried to resolve their problems only to find they simply cannot get past them. They could be too hostile toward one another to work things out.

Once a couple has decided to divorce, they may need to think about property division and child custody. Even if the couple has a great deal of conflict, they could negotiate an agreement on these points in mediation. Unlike litigation, which is more adversarial, mediation focuses is on reaching a cooperative solution. Both parties may be more satisfied by a divorce agreement reached in this way. However, talks could break down in mediation, or a couple may reach agreement in some areas and not others. In these cases, a judge can make any other needed decisions.