It’s common for people to believe women are more emotional than men. After all, men can be viewed as “weak” if they cry or wear their emotions on their sleeve. Women on the other hand, are expected to have emotional highs and lows and cry sometimes. Since women are believed to be emotional creatures, people can mistakenly believe that divorce isn’t as hard on men, but that’s not necessarily the case at all.
In many ways, a divorcing husband can have a lot more to lose in terms of his health and happiness in the event of a divorce than his wife, which we explain below.
Why Are Men More at Risk?
There are several reasons why divorce is harder on men than women. For starters, men tend to bury their emotions and skip right over the grieving process. Divorce is known to be one of the most stressful experiences an adult will ever have to go through, second only to the death of a close friend or family member.
Women usually take time to grieve. They’ll take a few days or a week off work. They’ll take a mini-vacation or spend quality time with their best friend or close family members. They’ll have shoulders to cry on and they may even seek out a therapist to talk to.
Men, on the other hand, tend to bottle up their emotions. They may turn to food, drugs, or alcohol to numb the pain – ignoring their emotions can lead to severe anxiety and depression and long-term health effects.
Here are other ways divorce is harder on men:
- Divorce tends to impact men’s health. They can experience insomnia, depression, and anxiety, rapid weight loss, or weight gain. If they have been very stressed about finances and their identity loss, their risk of heart disease and stroke can increase.
- Unlike women, men don’t usually get involved in new activities after a divorce. They’ll often feel socially isolated and as if they’ve lost their identity, especially when their ex-wife has custody of their children.
- Since men don’t carve out time so they can grieve, they’re more likely to feel lonely so they’ll seek out a new relationship right away, which can lead to problems in the new relationship.
- Most of the time (but not always), wives end up with custody of the couple’s children, which means men can really miss their kids. If they miss games, recitals, practices, parties, and other events, they’ll feel like they’re no longer a part of their kids’ lives. Fathers don’t like having to call their children to find out what’s going on.
If you’re a mother, it may be in your family’s best interests to give your ex a break for his sake and your children’s. This can help him and your co-parenting relationship immensely. If a man feels like he failed at his marriage, he can refocus that energy to being a great father, which benefits the children and gives him that much-needed sense of belonging.
For all of your divorce needs, contact the Law Office of Dennis R. Vetrano, Jr., LLC.