Things that are opposites:

  • Marriage -> Divorce
  • Life -> Death
  • Birthday -> Funeral
  • First Date -> Break Up
  • First Day of New Job -> Getting Fired

Real Pattern -> Where is there attention asymmetry:

Got it. You’re not listing opposites for fun — you’re **looking for attention asymmetry**. Big, glossy, well-funded markets on one side; fragmented, under-served, or stigmatized markets on the other. That’s a legit opportunity lens.

Here’s a clean breakdown, market-first, no fluff.

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## Pattern You’re Pointing At

- **High-status, aspirational events** get massive spend, media, tooling, and startups
    
- **Inevitable or common reversals** get ignored, stigmatized, or handled inefficiently
    
- Result: **mispriced pain + low competition**
    

Divorce is a textbook example.

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## Other Markets With the Same Asymmetry

### 1. Wedding Industry → Divorce Industry

**Attention:** ~90% wedding, ~10% divorce  
**Reality:** ~40–50% end in divorce  
**Gap:** Emotional logistics, financial unwind, co-parenting systems, digital separation tools  
**Why it’s ignored:** Shame + legal dominance + “romance bias”

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### 2. Birth / Pregnancy → Miscarriage, Infertility, Stillbirth

**Attention:** Massive (apps, products, influencers)  
**Reality:** ~1 in 5 pregnancies end in miscarriage  
**Gap:** Emotional care, rituals, workplace support, medical follow-through  
**Why ignored:** Discomfort, silence, no Hallmark card aisle

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### 3. Career Onboarding → Job Loss / Layoffs

**Attention:** HR tech obsessed with hiring & culture  
**Reality:** Layoffs are cyclical and common  
**Gap:** Offboarding dignity, retraining, mental health, identity loss  
**Why ignored:** Companies don’t want to think about failure

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### 4. Home Buying → Foreclosure / Forced Sale

**Attention:** Huge (mortgages, Zillow, agents, decor)  
**Reality:** Many homeowners sell under stress  
**Gap:** Distress-first real estate tools, emotional + financial navigation  
**Why ignored:** Bad optics, hits “American Dream” myth

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### 5. College Enrollment → Dropout / Non-Completion

**Attention:** Massive (rankings, tours, loans)  
**Reality:** ~40% don’t graduate in 6 years  
**Gap:** Exit pathways, re-entry options, debt-without-degree solutions  
**Why ignored:** Schools paid upfront; incentives misaligned

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### 6. Startup Launch → Startup Failure

**Attention:** Incubators, VC, launch press  
**Reality:** ~90% fail  
**Gap:** Founder shutdown playbooks, mental health, asset wind-down  
**Why ignored:** VC incentives favor hype, not cleanup

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### 7. Retirement Planning → End-of-Life Decline

**Attention:** Massive (401k, FIRE content)  
**Reality:** Many face cognitive/physical decline before death  
**Gap:** Admin automation, caregiver coordination, dignity preservation  
**Why ignored:** Death avoidance, regulatory mess

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### 8. Personal Finance Growth → Financial Collapse

**Attention:** Hustle, investing, crypto, wealth porn  
**Reality:** Bankruptcies, debt spirals are common  
**Gap:** Stigma-free recovery platforms, debt triage, financial therapy  
**Why ignored:** Shame = low virality

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## Why These Are Real Opportunities (Not Just “Sad Topics”)

- **Demand is forced** — people don’t opt in emotionally, but they _must_ act
    
- **Competition is weak** — incumbents are often legalistic, outdated, or predatory
    
- **Customers are time-constrained & stressed** — they pay for clarity and relief
    
- **Attention arbitrage** — founders chase sexy beginnings, not messy endings
    

Divorce works especially well because:

- Predictable volume
    
- High lifetime impact
    
- Complex logistics
    
- Emotion + money + kids = huge pain stack
    

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## Blunt Take

If you’re willing to build where people feel ashamed, confused, or abandoned by systems, you’ll face:

- Less competition
    
- More gratitude
    
- Stickier customers
    
- Real moats
    

Most founders run toward hope. The money is often in **cleaning up after reality**.

If you want, next we can:

- Rank these by **TAM × neglect**
    
- Deep-dive divorce specifically (what’s broken, who pays, where tech helps)
    
- Identify which ones are best for VC vs. cash-flow businesses