Theory: Women With Daughters Don't Need Husbands

Sociologists have puzzled over an odd stat for years: Parents are more likely to divorce if they have girls instead of boys. The New York Times parenting blog today takes note of a new theory by a Notre Dame psychologist: Women who have daughters don't need a husband as much "because they know that with a girl, they'll never be lonely or without help."

These women "may be less willing to tolerate any bad behaviors from their husbands (and less willing to stay married)," writes psychologist Anita E. Kelly in Psychology Today. "This idea could even explain why couples expecting a girl are less likely to marry: A woman carrying a girl anticipates that she won't need a husband." As they say, girls rule, boys drool.
(More divorce stories.)