The reasons are layered. People are living longer and healthier lives, which changes the calculation of staying in an unsatisfying marriage another twenty or thirty years is a long time to be unhappy. The stigma around divorce has diminished. And crucially, more women have financial independence today than in previous generations, which means staying for financial security is less of a constraint than it once was.

What if people stop liking me? What if I stop being invited? What if, when I stop performing all of this, no one actually shows up?

Here is what I want you to hear: it is okay to say no. It is okay to take care of yourself. And a lot of times, when you start doing that, something unexpected happens. You stop showing up out of obligation, and you start showing up because you genuinely want to. Things become lighter. More true. More connecting.