More marriages in Northern Ireland are falling apart, according to court figures released yesterday.
Breakdowns ending up at the High Court increased by a fifth last year, figures showed. Infidelity and unreasonable behaviour were among the chief causes.
Experts linked the rise to higher expectations of marriage and an unwillingness by partners to put up with abuse. Two out of three petitions for divorce were lodged by women.
Linda Wright from counselling organisation Relate said: "People expect more from a relationship and they won't put up with a relationship where their needs are not being met and they may be more open to going down the legal channel."
Court service documents revealed that the number of divorce petitions filed rose by 18 per cent, from 2,808 in 2004 to 3,311 last year.
A total of 1,063 dissolutions were granted. The most common ground was mutually agreed divorce after a two-year separation.
Statistics showed 113 alleged cases of adultery and 495 of unreasonable behaviour, the majority filed by women.
Ms Wright added: "Any kind of abuse can constitute unreasonable behaviour; it can be physical or it can be emotional or financial."
Just over 8,100 couples were married in Northern Ireland last year, a fall on earlier years. - (PA)