“Sad And Lonely With Cats”

Not the threat they think it is

Photograph by Inez and Vinoodh for TIME

If you’ve spent two seconds on social media, you’ll have seen this hurled at women by guys who have nothing left in the tank. “You’re gonna die alone, with cats,” they gleefully exclaim, thinking it’s a fate worse than death. It’s their “mic drop” moment, the ultimate insult, the modern-day equivalent of “a pox on your house.”

Except it isn’t.

A few facts:

• “In the UK, among opposite-sex couples in 2021, females were more likely to petition for divorce (63.1%) compared with males (36.9%); these are similar proportions to those in 2020, with 62.6% of petitions where females petitioned and 37.4% with males petitioning.”
• “The cumulative percentages of marriages ending in divorce by their 25th (silver) wedding anniversary has steadily increased. For couples who married in 1963 (the first cohort with data available), 23% had divorced by their 25th anniversary. This has steadily risen to 41% for couples who married in 1996 (the latest marriage cohort to potentially reach their 25th anniversary).”
• In the US, “ Most divorces … are wanted by the wife. Women’s predominance in wanting divorce (among couples who divorce) seems to have been consistent over time…Furthermore, wives report lower relationship quality than…