Extra-marital affairs continue to be the main reason for UK divorces last year, a survey of family lawyers has found.

The survey found that adultery was viewed as the major factor leading to 27% of divorces, followed by family strains (18%) and emotional/physical abuse (17%). Mid-life crisis (13%), workaholism (6%) and addictions such as alcoholism and gambling (6%) also featured strongly.


Conducted by accountants Grant Thornton's forensics team, it found that three-quarters of adulterers last year were men, as were 70% of workaholics.


In the vast majority of cases (93%), it is the women who petition for divorce. Slightly more than half of all divorces occur in marriages lasting between ten and 15 years, with 40% ending between five and ten years.


On average, in 2004 women achieved a better or much better settlement than men 60% of the time.


Almost of all of the lawyers surveyed reported demand for pre-nuptial agreements, although most would like to see them carry more weight in the courts, and 8% said they wanted them to be binding.