If you are involved in a physically abusive relationship then run, don't walk, to the nearest law office and get yourself a good lawyer.  When it comes to physical abuse, no one deserves such treatment: not animals, not our worst enemies and not you!  Compounding physical abuse is usually a level of mental and verbal assaults that lead one into a sort of paralysis, which can cause one to wonder if they are to blame.  Don't fall into this trap.  You will surely be making a move to a better world through divorce.  The sooner you do so, the sooner you can start enjoying life again while being treated with the respect and dignity you deserve. 

Finding love on the side is nothing to be looked at lightly and is often well justified grounds for divorce.  To add a little historic cultural perspective, throughout the ages adultery has been subject to severe punishments including the death penalty in some countries.  Even today, adultery has been grounds for divorce under most fault-based divorce laws. In some places around the globe the method for punishing adultery is stoning to death!  We just wanted to emphasize that dalliance on the side is not to be shrugged off lightly and it will not be by a court for sure. 

So if you are in a marriage and the spouse is cheating you are standing on morale ground seeking a divorce.  However, we would suggest trying to work it out or at least address the underlying causes for infidelity first.  Does it hint at a lack of intimacy?  Does it even matter at this point?  It should, because a lot can be riding on your decision to divorce your unfaithful spouse.  Doesn't mean you should tolerate it, but can it be overcome?  This is only a question you can answer.  But, if they are unwilling to abound by the matrimonial covenant they agreed to when they married you, then in essence they ended the marriage first. 

In some ways, insults and put-downs bore over the years can be every bit as debilitating as physical abuse.  No one deserves to be put down, insulted and ripped into for any perceived lack of skill, flaw or ability to do anything.  As a spouse you are entitled to dignity and self-respect and nobody has a right to attack those aspects of you. Divorce can be a window to recovering your self-worth if you have been subjugated to verbal and mental abuse. 

Finances are a major reason why some marriages fail and it mostly has to do with spending habits.  Strong marriages are on the same page when it comes to the money and budgets are clearly defined and understood.  This does not mean that both spouses should get full access to the cookie jar at all times, it just means that whatever system is in place must be understood by both spouses.  Perhaps one spouse has a personal savings account for spur of the moment purchases.  That, in and of itself, is okay.  It is just when suddenly eight thousand dollars is missing from the joint checking and one spouse was saving the money for a family vacation next spring tempers can flare.  Given enough time, such matters will lead to divorce. Go see a counselor first and clearly outline you and your spouses relationship with money. 

You never signed on aiding and abetting a career criminal or loser.  Everyone deserves a second chance, but in our opinion, a spouse should live up to his or her obligation to respect the law and stay out of jail.  One who is in jail, cannot provide and cannot nurture.  They are in effect AWOL when it comes to the marriage.  You have to think if he or she is worth putting on marriage parole or if the marriage death penalty is in order.  Perhaps the crime might play into your decision, too. There might be a big difference between sticking with a spouse doing five to ten for involuntary manslaughter stemming from a car accident versus hanging onto a sexual predator busted by the FBI. 

We won't say that it is the role of the husband to work while the woman stays at home, but generally speaking, the provider needs to provide and if it is a man, then he needs to wear that shoe when it comes to bringing home the bacon.  The same applies if the main provider is a woman.  You can't provide from the sofa.  A chronically lazy spouse that will eschew every chance at employment to ride out the family savings can prove disastrous to the spouse that puts blood, sweat and tears behind the beer, butter and bacon. You married into a partnership, not into a one-sided parasitic relationship.  Make sure his or her reluctance is not merely a depression.  If it is not and the loafing is wholly ingrained and uncorrectable, consider a divorce.

 

Interesting that they made the list, but it is in the sense that some step kids are unruly and uncontrollable.  Perhaps your spouse has a grown daughter or son who routinely drains her money, which you help provide, by exploiting the fact her mom and dad are not together.  Perhaps you are not allowed to discipline them and they are little monsters running roughshod over their mother, who feels bad because she left their father for you (or vice-versa). 

Rules need to be established and people need to be respected: that includes you.  If you don't have it in a household, it might be time for a divorce.

A weak reason compared to the previous ones.  However, it could possibly be a reason for divorce under the condition that not wanting kids was a reversal of a previous position on which the marriage was founded.  For instance, if you had a personal one-on-one prior to marriage and decided together that you both wanted 2.5 kids, a house and a dog and suddenly five years in, your spouse is happy to have the four bedroom house only, then yes, it can be grounds.  Keep in mind: if you never talked about kids prior to marriage, then ask why it was no big deal then? 

You married him, not his drunken cousin or uncle.  If your house has been overrun by in-laws that infringe upon your right to respect, dignity and self-worth, then this could indeed be grounds for a divorce but only in the most dramatic circumstances.  Leading up to marriage, most people would formulate exactly how such relationships would play out.