Divorcing women 'more likely than ever' to hire private investigators

NEW! HALF OF DIVORCING couples in Briton use a private investigator to check up on their partners – with wives the most suspicious, says new research. A new study published today found that 49 per cent of couples used an investigator in 2006 – more than double the figure the year before, when just 18 per cent used them. The survey of the country's leading family lawyers found that the majority of checks, 61 per cent, were carried out by women on their husbands. 'For the fourth year running our survey has shown that extra-marital affairs is the primary reason cited for the break down of marriages in the UK,' said Andrea McLaren, from the financial advisers Grant Thornton, whose forensic and investigation services practice carried out the research. 'As this figure continues to rise, it is little wonder that the number of individuals using private investigators continues to rise. Women appear to be using investigation specialists at a far higher rate than their male counterparts.' The survey, which assessed marriage trends and canvassed the opinions of family lawyers, found nearly one third of divorces were due to an extra-marital affair – mostly by husbands. Behaviour was cited as the reason for the break-up in 17 per cent of cases, followed by family strain and conflicts on personal decisions such as having a child. Just 4 per cent cited emotional or physical abuse. (23 April 2007)


Taken from Marie Claire magazine - online