As an online divorce review site, we try to also stay on top of the latest research from around the globe as it relates to marriage and divorce. One of the latest studies to come out of Britain surveyed 2,175 British citizens, and found that one in five are harboring a secret from their spouses.
The survey, conducted by UK family law firm Slater & Gordon, found that 20 percent said they were keeping a major secret in their marriage. About 25 percent of those people worried that the secret was so big, it could end their marriage.
“There is often a perception that marriages come to an end because of lots of little things coming to a head over time,” said Amanda McAlister, head of family law at Slater & Gordon, in a press release. “But we find that a high proportion of clients come to us having been in a happy marriage just weeks earlier. It’s normally the case that one lie or one secret is the undoing of the whole marriage.”
Secrets include the following:
- Money troubles
- Pornography
- Infidelity
- Contact with a former partner and past relationships
- Infidelity
As for the length of time that these individuals kept the secret from their spouses, an astounding 25 percent said the major secret had been kept from their spouse for at least 25 years, while about 12 percent said they had taken extreme action to ensure the secret wasn’t revealed. Finally, 28 percent believed that coming out with the secret now would make things much worse.
McAlister, however, believes this may be a misconception, stating, “My advice to anyone is to try and be as honest as possible with your partner. Most people want to be married and in my experience, couples are often more hurt by the lies covering up a mistake than a mistake in the first place.”
If your marriage has been rocked by a secret you can’t get past, and you want to know the best sites to handle the divorce yourself, allow our online divorce reviews site to help you find the right place to handle your case.