'Most wives would divorce if they could afford it'

London: Most of the wives would leave their husbands if they could afford it, a survey has shown.

In a study of married men and women, the majority of wives — 59 per cent — said they would divorce immediately if their future economic security was assured.

Among both sexes, more than one in ten wished they had married someone else. The survey found than half of husbands thought their marriage was 'loveless'. Relationship experts in UK have warned couples to avoid getting stuck in a rut — or risk the trauma of divorce.

"Divorce impacts on every single area of a person's life. Dividing up the family home, pets and everything they own is just part of the process," a spokesperson for Relate, the relationship counselors, was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail online.

The British survey of 2,000 adults revealed that almost 30 per cent said they were staying in a doomed marriage to save themselves going through a massive upheaval.

Nearly half of those questioned, both men and women, would stay with their partner for the sake of the family unit.

Thirty per cent men said they were staying for the sake of children, being scared that they would have to leave without their kids.

Fifty-six per cent admitted they were not completely happy in their relationship — and more than half said they had considered splitting from their partner.

The survey was commissioned by solicitors Seddons after a rush of divorce applications in Britain during the first week of the new year.