Why do women stay in bad relationships?

[Northbynorthwestnorthernline]

Just that really. Why?

When there is no cataclysmic event and it's just stale and lonely and low level misery why do so many women feel bound to their DH's and stay trying to make it work?

because it's perfectly possible for relationships that have become like that to improve

A variety of reasons that are individual to each woman.

Why does anyone stay in a bad relationship? There is no one answer.

Love, for the kids, fear, duty, loneliness, financial security, low self esteem, poor health, any number of reasons really.

Because life isn't all excitement, it can be routine and mundane but that can be changed with effort. 'Stale' can be altered.
Because people see the bigger picture, and are aiming for something in the future.
Because they love their partner and children and some disappointment is the price to pay sometimes.
Security and a decent lifestyle.
The option is maybe mental ill health, and ensuing loneliness.
Because the grass is not greener a lot of the time.
Because life isn't fair and some people just haven't got the resources within themselves to make a single life.
Because one partner couldn't live with the guilt of hurting the other.
As many reasons as there are individuals.

It's not exclusive to women, of course. I think a lot of marriages and partnerships end up getting stale and sad. The people in them stick around for reasons as varied as the individuals involved. You can rationalise anything if you put your mind to it.

It's right there in the marriage ceremony, unfortunately ... that evil phrase 'for better for worse' that places everyone under a terrible obligation to stick it out. Partnerships are de facto marriages and the pressure is the same. Imagine if you started working for a particular organisation and they demanded that you sign a piece of paper saying that you would carry on doing your job 'for better or for worse' . You'd run a mile...