* A heartbreaking new poll reveals that 58% of people are trapped in unhappy marriages because they simply cannot afford to leave their partner.
* Of those financially constrained people, a massive 84% admit they would leave their husband tomorrow if they weren’t fearful of the financial impact of divorce.
* Susan* and Anthony* are just two examples of how worries of financial ruin through divorce can be a catalyst for infidelity.
* Study conducted by IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site.
For many people, divorce isn’t always a choice. Some stay in unhappy marriages not because of love, but because they simply can’t afford to leave – and for a growing number, that financial trap is pushing them towards affairs instead.
A new survey of 2,000 members (split evenly between men and women) on IllicitEncounters.com, the UK’s largest extramarital dating site, reveals that 58% of people admit they stay in their marriage for financial reasons – and of those, a staggering 84% say they’d leave tomorrow if they weren’t fearful of the financial impact of divorce.
For Susan, 50, from Dorset, that statistic hits painfully close to home. She’s been married for 15 years, but the love faded long ago. “ I stay because I can’t afford not to – there’s no affection, no sex, nothing romantic left. We even sleep in separate rooms.” she says.
Susan’s husband had an affair 14 years ago, when she was pregnant with their child. Though they stayed together, she says she “never truly forgave him” but feels she cannot leave because of the costs that would come with divorce.
But it’s not just women who are feeling trapped because of the potential financial impact of divorce. Anthony*, a 53-year-old business consultant, says, “I have a great salary, and that’s exactly the problem. The thought of a divorce is terrifying – my wife would take half of everything I’ve spent my life building. She knows that, and I think on some level, she uses it to her advantage. We haven’t been intimate for years, but I stay because the alternative could destroy me financially.”
He says joining IllicitEncounters.com gave him “an escape” without the life-ruining cost of divorce. “It’s not about being a player or chasing excitement – it’s about feeling appreciated again, without losing everything I’ve built.”
Relationship expert Jessica Leoni, from IllicitEncounters.com, says these stories are increasingly common. “Financial entrapment is one of the hidden drivers of modern infidelity,” she explains. “Many people feel they have no real option to leave – the cost of housing, childcare, and living expenses means they’re effectively locked into their marriages. For some, an affair becomes a way to reclaim a piece of themselves without tearing their whole life apart.”
Sometimes it’s the only form of therapy and self-discovery that fits within their economic reality. They aren’t looking to blow up their family’s home; they’re looking for a way to survive living in it.”
*Name has been changed
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