Fewer wives are being awarded income for life when they divorce

More women are refraining from divorcing their husbands because of the smaller court settlements being awarded, according to lawyers.

Experts said that fewer wives were being awarded income for life and were increasingly having settlements restricted to a few years. The law firm Hall Brown has dealt with 380 divorce cases over the past year, 30 of which were later shelved because the couple decided not to go ahead.

James Brown, the managing partner at the Manchester firm, said that many divorcing couples “may have little genuine insight into their true financial circumstances, and might have second thoughts when told about the settlement which they may receive”.

Ministry of Justice figures showed last year that orders for payments had fallen by 5 per cent since