Cheating, weariness, disappearance of feelings… The causes of breakups can be numerous. A British study has nevertheless identified the one that could lead to the most in 2023. Here it is.

Why will couples separate in 2023? As the year 2023 has (barely) begun, the British charity Relate surveyed 2,033 adults about their romantic plans for the coming year: 19% of them would already consider ending their relationship and even thought about the prospect of a divorce or separation, with men thinking about it the most (25% versus 19% of women). Despite this, women are nevertheless almost twice as likely to file for divorce as men in heterosexual marriages.

But why ? In 2023, money seems to be at the heart of marital troubles. More than a third of respondents (35%) indicated that inflation and the decline in purchasing power could put additional pressure on their couple in the coming months. The beginning of January is also a risky time for couples, especially when tensions have reached their peak at Christmas and everyone is looking for a fresh start.

“Financial worries are a problem for many couples (…) especially when their household income does not keep pace with the rising cost of living ,” says John Smith, adviser at Relate.

Commit without being ready enough

To cope with rising inflation over the months, some young couples decide to move in together more quickly in order to save rent, bills or even food shopping… at the risk of not being ready for a life together. A sometimes hasty decision that can inevitably lead to ruptures .

Another difficulty: for lack of money or the desire to keep aside, some couples do not plan time apart to consolidate their ties. “It’s important for partners to spend quality time together, but some activities like eating out or weekends come at a cost , “he admits. Difficult then to spend moments with two or without children, allowing to reconnect.

In a couple already in a situation of conflict , the cost of living can also be a factor delaying the decision to separate. The couple will then cohabit for the time that the two people can be financially independent, which can sometimes complicate and make the situation (even more) tense. ” This can be particularly problematic when children are involved, and we know from research that sustained, unresolved parental conflict is more detrimental to children’s emotional health than parental separation , “John Smith continues.

“If you’re having trouble in your relationship, it’s important to talk about it and, ideally, get help as soon as possible ,” the counselor concludes.

Female contraception: a hormone-free gel to replace the contraceptive pill?

Swedish researchers have reportedly developed a new method of contraception without hormones in the form of a gel. Currently in the pre-clinical trial state, this gel is said to be 98% effective and has no side effects.

The contraceptive pill has fewer and fewer followers. Faced with the undesirable effects caused by hormones – weight gain, reduced libido, mood disorders – some decide to turn to other non-hormonal means of contraception , such as the copper IUD . An unthinkable choice for all those with already heavy and painful periods.

In order to offer them a new option, a team of researchers from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden is currently working on the development of a non-hormonal contraceptive gel , the results of pre-clinical trials of which have been published in the journal Science Translational Medicine on November 30, 2022.

How does the gel work? It thickens the cervical mucus – … Read the rest

On the occasion of World Orgasm Day, Ifop unveiled a new study about the ” recreational sexuality ” of European women. In the post-Me too era, they now seem to assume a leisurely sexuality, aiming above all to fulfill their desires without feelings or commitment.

What does occasional sexuality in European women look like in 2022? For World Orgasm Day on December 21, Ifop surveyed nearly 5,000 women living in the five largest European countries (Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom) about their leisure sexuality. . Sexual relations from the first evening, after a meeting on dating apps or even under drugs… The institute has dissected their (new) practices.

According to the study, a majority of European women have had sex with a partner ” from their first meeting “. Among them, French women are more and more likely to take it upon themselves to ” sleep on the first night “, despite the risks of stigmatization which still weigh on women : today they are 38%, i.e. 4 points more than in 2015. This phenomenon is even more marked among those under 25 : 41% accept it, i.e. 5 points more than in 2015.

Users of dating apps are also more likely to experience this kind of unattached relationship: 84% of current users have had sex on the first night, compared to 42% of women who have never had one.

Dissociate sexual relationship and couple relationship

Despite a social context that still normalizes couple sexuality for the most part, European women seem to be freeing themselves from it little by little, and have sexual relations ” without a future “. Nearly one in two Europeans (47%) has already had an ephemeral sexual adventure, outside of an ongoing relationship, ” in the sense of a relationship that begins before coitus and continues after “, details the study. . 33% of European women even admitted to having slept ” with a person only once knowing in advance that they were not going to see them again “.

Among French women under 25, 49% say they have had sex without a future (+8 points since 2013). With the British and the Spanish, they are the ones in Europe who practice the ” one-night stand ” most easily.

As for sexual relations from the first evening, the women who indulge in these ephemeral sexual encounters have an above-average social and socio-cultural level, a progressive political positioning, a location in an urban environment and finally a clear emancipation from the regard to religious morality.

New practices without commitment… but not without risk

Nearly one in three young Europeans has already had a sexual experience of the ” sex friends ” type, i.e. relations with people they know, but always without any commitment or feeling. While this proportion of women who have regular sex with one of their friend(s) remains limited among women as a whole (only 23% among women aged 18 to 69), it is much less so. among young people: more than one in three women aged 18 to 24 have already engaged in this form of sexual friendship, particularly in France (41%) and the United Kingdom (42%)

One out of 5 young Britons has already had a sexual experience using hard drugs and 23% of them have also had sex at sex parties , parties mixing hard drugs, sex and alcohol (compared to 16% of French women). Practices that can ” overexpose young women to risky behavior insofar as it compromises their capacity for judgment and decision-making” , indicates the study.

” Whatever the risks they run, European women therefore … Read the rest