Mary-Ann and her husband Bill stopped sleeping together seven years before their marriage ended. When her hot flushes made the bed unbearable, Bill moved to another bedroom.
Intimacy visits stopped after two years. Arguments widened the gap, and they took separate holidays.
>>> AI Analysis Prevents Unnecessary Radiotherapy After Chemotherapy
Bill kept his inheritance separate from joint finances. Mary-Ann says he was "quiet quitting" the marriage, while she focused on a demanding new job.
By late 2025, their blended family still lived together, but the relationship was over.
Mary-Ann suggested she move out while the house was prepared for sale, but Bill insisted she pay half the mortgage until it sold.
She couldn't afford that, so they stayed under the same roof for five more months.
A Growing Trend
Mary-Ann and Bill are part of a rising number of couples forced to cohabit after separation because neither can afford a second household.
This is called "separation under the same roof" (SUSR).
Data from Australia's federal circuit and family court shows the share of divorcing couples reporting SUSR rose from 15% in 2020–2021 to 19% in 2024–2025.
Elisabeth Shaw, a clinical psychologist and CEO of Relationships Australia NSW, says cost of living is "front and centre" but adds that a lack of housing stock is also key.
"Those two factors create a vortex of misery," she says.
Nearly a third of Australians say cost of living pressures their relationship, making it the top relationship stressor.
Yet financial pressures also make separation impossible.
