There are many different factors that can influence divorce. For instance, if your parents are divorced, the odds are higher that you will also go through a divorce. If you get married at a young age, your divorce odds are higher than if you waited until 32 years old.
One thing that has been linked to divorce is when one or both partners have a long commute. The divorce odds can go up by 40%, for instance, when that commute is longer than 45 minutes. Why would this be true?
Spending less time together
It’s not the commute itself that is the problem. The issue is that couples who have a long commute do not have as much time for one another. A 45-minute commute could mean spending an hour and a half on the road every day, and that’s only if traffic goes smoothly.
This can often have a cumulative effect. If someone gets a new job with a long commute, they may think that it’s fine at first. They may even think it makes their relationship stronger, such as if it comes with a higher pay rate and so the couple faces less financial stress—another thing that can lead to divorce.
But as the time apart adds up, what sometimes happens is that the couple starts to lose their personal connection. They don’t see each other, they don’t have deep conversations and they begin to drift apart. This is especially true when the long commute is also part of a demanding career, such as one where a person spends 10 or more hours at the office on a regular basis.
Navigating a divorce
Time apart can certainly lead to the end of a marriage, and that’s when couples need to start dividing up marital assets, child custody rights and much more. If you’re navigating a divorce this year, be sure that you know exactly what legal rights you have.
