New Study Finds Husband’s Job Status May Be a Risk Factor for Divorce

As if there weren’t enough pressure to have a successful career and marriage, a new Harvard study published in the American Sociological Review has found that men who don’t have full time jobs have a much higher risk of getting divorced than those with full time jobs. In fact, the study concluded that there is a 32% higher risk of divorce compared to those who were employed full time!

This study, sourced in the recent article on CNBC, contradicts prior research that suggest chore-sharing was more likely to lead to divorce. Based on data from 6,300 married couples who were interviewed between 1968 and 2013, the findings of this study suggest instead that the husband’s employment status plays a much larger role than the distribution of household chores. Perhaps not surprisingly, there also seemed to be a generational split. There were two notable findings based on this research in relation to jobs vs. chores:

• Couples who married before 1975 had a higher risk factor for divorce when women did a smaller amount of housework (more chores shared by husband).
• For couples married after 1975, the husband’s employment status was a huge factor in divorce where household chores were barely considered an issue.

An interesting perspective on this study came from Daniel Shaw, professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh who stated, “The study is interesting because it suggests that males are still expected to bring home the bacon to some extent.” While the study gave no definitive answer as to why the husband’s lack of fulltime job was likely to lead to divorce, Sociology professor at Harvard and author of the study, Alexandra Killewald said, “I could speculate that losing a job might bring with it depression or some other kinds of mental health issues.” Daniel Shaw was also not surprised by the findings, who mused that a man who has lost his job can also feel like he’s lost his identity, which can lead to depression and resentment, on top of the potential financial stress, and wear on a marriage.

Divorce is never easy, no matter the cause. If you are in need of a caring divorce attorney in the Tampa Bay area who will represent your best interest, please call the law office of Anton Garcia Law. Our experienced attorneys will work diligently on your behalf throughout the entire divorce process.