The issues considered in the choice to initiate a divorce by women who have chosen to initiate divorce: A generic qualitative investigation

The purpose of this study was to answer the research question, "What were the issues considered by women in the decision to initiate divorce?" A generic qualitative methodology was used with an inductive analysis method of data analysis. The findings of the data analysis were the emergence of six categorical themes that represented the issues that were considered. The six categorical themes were consistent with the findings of existing research on the factors that contribute to the perceptions of the quality of marriage relationships, and the satisfaction levels of women in marriage relationships. While there is a wealth of research that investigated the perceptions of the quality of marriage relationships, and the satisfaction levels of marriage relationships, this current study is the only qualitative study known that has investigated the issues considered in the decision to initiate divorce by women who have initiated divorce. Further studies are needed to investigate the correlation between the issues considered in the decision to initiate divorce, and the perceptions of the quality and satisfaction levels of marriage relationships. The Social Exchange Theory served as the theoretical basis of the decision-making process of considering the cost versus benefits, comparisons to past relationship's quality, and the potential of future relationship's quality in the process of choosing to initiate divorce.