Women are more likely to petition for a divorce than men in opposite-sex marriages, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
In 2021, women petitioned for 63% of divorces in England and Wales in opposite-sex marriages and men made up the other 37% of divorces.
These results are similar to data seen in recent years, with 63% of divorces petitioned by women in 2020 and 62% in 2019.
Same-sex divorces
In same-sex marriages, men made up 33% of divorces in England and Wales, with women making up the other 67%.
Same-sex divorces have only been possible since 2015 because same-sex marriages were legalised in the UK in 2014.
In 2015 there were 22 same-sex divorces. Since then, the number of divorces each year has risen exponentially.
