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One evening in September, Kate, 53, sat at the dinner table with her husband and listened as he talked about his personal issues. She waited for him to ask about the work presentation she was worried about but he forgot and moved on to football.

The moment triggered Kate’s years of pent-up frustration from being ignored. She finished her wine and told herself: “I can’t do this any more.” She decided to file for divorce.

Kate represents a rising trend in the UK called “walkaway wives,” referring to women who quietly leave their marriages, Independent said.

Midlife divorces were previously more common with men where they broke off marriages to pursue younger partners but the pattern has been reversing over the past few years, studies say.

Nearly half of divorces are now initiated by women in midlife, with 56% saying they would end a marriage if they were unhappy, according to the Telegraph.

A report, titled Beyond the Break, released in Nov. 2025 by law firm Mishcon de Reya and NOON, a UK-based online community for women in midlife, shows more women are filing for divorce and saying they have “had enough.”

Sixty-four percent of female respondents said the cause for divorce was not infidelity. Twenty-three percent said they no longer feel love, and 11% did not want to spend the rest of their lives with a husband who has grown distant.

“My request for a divorce last October entirely took my ex by surprise,” said Ana Clarke, 41. “He assumed my silence meant I was accepting of his shortcomings, but in reality, I was slowly checking out of the marriage.”

Husbands are often surprised by what they see as a sudden divorce but wives usually express dissatisfaction for years without being heard. Psychotherapist Susie Masterson said men in therapy are often unaware of how frustrated their wives are.

Studies show married men tend to be happier because more of their needs are met in a relationship, while women carry both domestic burden and emotional responsibilities.

Family lawyer Ellie Foster said women were previously limited by financial dependence or the stigma of divorce, but midlife is now seen as a new beginning. Seventy-one percent of surveyed women said they are not afraid to live alone.

The report also found that divorced women face higher stress levels, and 49% experience mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Financial difficulties were reportedly the biggest concern.

Even so, 76% of divorced women said they do not regret their decision and would choose divorce again if a later marriage was unsuccessful.

“For so many women, decades have been dedicated to caring for others; there’s a delicious liberation in being able to consider what we want at last,” Ellie Foster said. “Very few of my clients or support group members ever talk about wanting a new partner. In fact, most come out of divorce saying never again”.