Today, I read a study out of Radford University in Virginia from Yahoo News, listing 15 occupations with an elevated risk of divorce. Naturally, you might assume this list to include professions such as: strippers, NBA players, or pro golfers. However, I was a little surprised and shocked by some of the professions, the researchers identified as having the highest divorce rates.
So, if you want a lasting marriage, according to the study, these are the guys you want to stay away from. (List is in order of increasing risk of divorce):
Maids and housekeeping cleaners
Roofers
Waiters
Telemarketers
Baggage porters and concierges
Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers
Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides
Telephone operators
Factory workers: food and tobacco
Gaming service worker
Extruding machine operator
Gaming cage worker
Massage therapists
Bartenders
Dancers and choreographers
The study also found that some of the professions with the lowest divorce rate are: sales engineers, podiatrists, and transit police.
In summary, here are the categories of professions that are higher at risk for divorce:
Entertainers And Athletes
According to a 2009 study, “A Comparison of Law Enforcement Divorce Rates with Those of Other Occupations,” published in the “Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology” and reported internationally, dancers and choreographers had the highest probability of divorce. Entertainers and athletes also have a high risk of divorce according to the study, which was co-authored by Michael Aamodt, professor emeritus at Radford University in Virginia, along with student Shawn McCoy. Infidelity plays a major factor in the failure of such high-profile marriages as those of Tiger Woods and Britney Spears, “Independent Woman” reports.
Helping Professions
Hospitality Workers
Workers in the hospitality industry, including baggage porters, bartenders and concierges, also face high rates of divorce, according to Aamodt and McCoy. High levels of stress combined with little control over their work are contributing factors, according to “Independent Woman.” Hospitality workers who work irregular hours are also more vulnerable to temptation on the job in the form of co-workers and patrons, many of whom dress provocatively, according to Frank Lin, a Nevada divorce attorney quoted in a report by the Associated Press, republished on CBSNews.com.
Law Enforcement And Military
Long deployments away from their families in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to sharply increasing divorce rates among enlisted soldiers and officers, according to reports from 2005 and 2008 published by “USA Today.” Jeff Shannon, a police officer and licensed marriage and family therapist in California, in a blog post republished by “Law Enforcement Today,” blames “police personality” for high rates of divorce among law enforcement officers. According to Shannon, citing John Gottman’s book “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” men who refused to share control with their wives had an 81 percent chance of divorce.
Less Educated And Low-Wage Workers
Workers with lower levels of education were more likely to divorce than individuals with college degrees, according to University of Maryland sociologist Steve Martin, quoted by MSNBC.com. One reason is that college-educated women are more likely to work outside the home, which has a stabilizing effect on marriage, according to research conducted by Stephanie Coontz, a family studies instructor at Evergreen State College in Washington State, also quoted by MSNBC.com. Better-educated workers tend to obtain better-paid jobs, which produces less stress in marriages, explains Andrew J. Cherlin, a sociology professor Johns Hopkins University, quoted by DivorceSource.com.
i have heard that doctors and housewives have very high chances of cheating too. Humm.. i think to some extent your profession does increase the likelihood you are going to cheating, but it cannot be wholly responsible though. However, if a person innately has cheating instincts, then it doesn’t really matter what profession he is, he is going to cheat anyway.