There are a variety of things that can increase your divorce odds. Technically, your odds of divorce are higher if you married at a young age. The odds of divorce could also go up if you have a high-conflict relationship and you and your spouse are constantly arguing. When many couples get divorced, they will cite a multitude of reasons that led to this decision.
If you have a long commute, it’s important to know that this may be one key component. Studies have found that divorce odds go up with longer commutes. Specifically, researchers in one study considered what happened to a couple’s relationship if one spouse had a commute that was more than 45 minutes long. They found a corresponding increase in divorce odds by a staggering 40%.
Why does this happen?
It’s not the commute itself that is an issue, but just the time the couple spends apart.
If someone has a 45-minute commute, it means they’re spending an hour and a half on the road every day. If they’re also spending between eight and nine hours at the office, their employment is simply taking up a very significant portion of their daily life. This is all the time that they have to spend away from their spouse and, potentially, their children.
Many couples can make this work for a short amount of time, but it takes a cumulative toll. It gets stressful for a parent who is at home more often, raising the kids on their own. The couple begins to drift apart because they just don’t have nearly as many meaningful conversations or interactions. The relationship deteriorates and they end up getting divorced. Neither one may specifically blame the commute, but it played a role the entire time.
If you and your spouse do get divorced this year, carefully consider what legal steps you’ll need to take.