Divorcees say they could've been more generous or caring in past marriages

Divorced singles looking for new relationships regretted not having been more generous and kind toward their partners during their marriages, a survey showed Monday.

According to the survey of 516 divorcees (258 men and 258 women), conducted by South Korean matchmaking agencies Only U and Bien-Aller, the highest percentage of male respondents at 29.1 percent said they should have been "more generous" in their past married life, while 32.2 percent of female respondents regretted not having been "gentler or sweeter" to their spouses.

Reflecting on their past relationships, 25.2 percent of male divorcees felt they should have been more frank with their partners, followed by 21.3 percent who believed they should have been more warm-hearted, and 16.3 percent who wished they had been kinder.

Female divorcees shared similar sentiments, with 25.2 percent acknowledging they could have been more warm-hearted. Those who expressed regret for not exhibiting more positive attitudes and not showing greater generosity stood at about 21 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively.

As for the underlying reasons for marriage breakdowns, the highest percentage of male respondents at 30.6 percent admitted to underestimating their partners. Around 24 percent attributed their divorce to their own inattentive behavior, while 20 percent acknowledged an overbearing attitude as a contributing factor.

On the contrary, 31 percent of female divorcees identified their inconsiderate attitudes as a leading cause of their marital failures. Trusting their partners too much was cited by 26.4 percent, and 18.6 percent believed that insincere behavior played a role in their divorces.

Shifting focus to the roles that their partners did not fulfill, 33.3 percent of male respondents expressed discontent with their partners not carrying out the role of a wife properly, while the women (32.6 percent) were most concerned with their husbands’ role as the head of the family.