Marriage is in, but:

Infidelity in marriage is the most common reason for divorce

(Bild: stock.adobe.com - Andrey Popov)

Austrians like to get married. Almost 45,000 women and men said "I do" in Austria last year. According to a survey by the digital market and opinion research institute Marketagent, 76% still consider marriage to be in keeping with the times. However, over 14,000 marriages were divorced in the same period - the most common reason was infidelity on the part of one partner. 

One in four of the 1,000 people surveyed had already thought about divorce at least once, according to a press release on Tuesday.

Infidelity as the number one reason for divorce
Infidelity is clearly the most common reason for separation (44 percent), followed by 36.4 percent who said they had grown apart. Emotional injury (30.1 percent), the realization that they no longer fit together (18.8 percent) and addictive behavior (16.7 percent) were also cited as factors.

Infidelity remains the number one reason for divorce.

(Bild: Marketagent)

However, after the end of the marriage, 85% were able to agree on an amicable divorce, with the driving force behind the separation usually coming from one party.

Prenuptial agreement still a taboo subject
According to the divorce report, only a third can imagine seeking legal advice before the marriage. Only 3.4 percent of those surveyed have concluded a prenuptial agreement. However, a quarter of respondents have already been through a divorce.

Austrians like to get married - but very few of them conclude a marriage contract.

(Bild: APA/GUENTER R. ARTINGER)

However, people in this country are not too hasty in taking the step towards an eternal life together: the decision is mostly prepared and planned (62%). On average, couples have been together for 5.5 years before they say "I do". People see the act as a "mutual promise" (58%), a "sign of love" (50%) or an "intimate connection between two people" (48%). One third see marriage as "legal security".

Women have more doubts than men
Doubts about the eternal bond are more pronounced among women. Almost a third of women have already thought about divorce. And almost six out of ten people know at least one couple who are only married on paper, according to the survey of 1,000 respondents, which was conducted in cooperation with lawyer Susanna Perl-Lippitsch. "It is particularly exciting that on average (median), divorce actually occurred in the much-vaunted seventh year," it said.

In almost a third of divorces, there was friction regarding the division of assets (30 percent). A quarter (26%) argued about custody and contact rights for the children. According to the survey, four out of ten divorced people regret in retrospect not having informed themselves better legally before the wedding.