When considering the factors that may contribute to the odds that your marriage ends in a divorce, make sure you think about your commute. How far you drive to work every day – and how much time you spend on the road – can be a major predictor of divorce.
For example, one report claimed there is a 40% increase in divorce odds when one of the partners has a commute that exceeds 45 minutes. This is especially true right at the beginning of this arrangement. If couples can get through five years or more, then that falls all the way to a 1% increase in divorce odds. But many couples will split up long before that five-year point, so why is this?
Less time together
The biggest issue is just that the couple has less time together if one person is spending so long on the road. Their commute could take up an hour and a half of their life every day, which is time they don’t get to spend with their spouse or their children. They may also get home feeling stressed out from being stuck in rush-hour traffic. This takes away from the quality of their interactions with their family members even after they have returned from that commute.
Money and happiness
The main reason that someone often accepts a job with a long commute is that they’re going to be making more money. They think this will relieve some stress and make them happier. But, depending on the amount of money they will earn at their new job, it may not be worth it. For instance, some reports claim that a salary that is 30% higher is not worth the extra hour of commuting, but that a 40% salary increase would be the minimum necessary.
In other words, many people realize that the new job hasn’t made them happier, but it has taken its toll on their relationship. If this happens to you, carefully consider the legal steps you’ll need to take while ending your marriage.
