7 Ways to Divorce-Proof Your Marriage
Mar-19-2012

While these certainly aren't guaranteed (please don't cite us in your divorce petition), here are some things science says will make you less likely to get divorced.

1. Quit Smoking

A study published in 2010 (PDF here) found that if only one partner smoked, it caused more marital problems than differing religions, different backgrounds, even different plans for having children.
Couples are an astonishing 76-95% more likely to get divorced if only one of them smokes. The amount increases when the wife is the partner with the habit. While couples who both smoke have it a bit better, a 1998 study found they are still 53% more likely than non-smoking couples to end their marriage.

2. Take Up Optometry

Analysis of census data from 2000 found some professions seem to be almost divorce-proof. As one might expect, religious workers and clergy had some of the lowest divorce rates, but there were some slightly less obvious professions in the bottom ten. These included optometrists, shuttle car drivers and transit police, with optometrists clocking in with a ridiculously low 4% chance of getting divorced. Other low risk professions included farming and nuclear engineers.
If you think your job as a massage therapist, animal trainer, or mathematician puts you in the clear, think again. You're in the top ten most-likely-to-get-divorced jobs.

3. Share Chores

Proponents of traditional gender roles in marriage often point to the fact that divorce rates increased as more women went into the workforce. But a study from the London School of Economics recently found that the stress on a marriage due to the wife working is completely offset when husbands contribute more to housework, childcare, and shopping. In turn, those couples are more likely to stay together.
The study found that in households split along traditional gender lines, with the wife staying home and the husband contributing nothing to the housework, the divorce rate was slightly higher than when both partners worked and contributed roughly equally to the housework. When both had jobs and the husband made a "minimal contribution" to the housework, the risk of divorce almost doubled.

4. Live in a Blue State

You might expect divorce rates to be highest in states with more liberal residents, but you'd be wrong. Even though it was the solidly blue California that pioneered "no-fault" divorce in 1969, a 2009 census report revealed that residents of more conservative states are more likely to get divorced than their more liberal counterparts.
The Census Bureau explained some of the possible reasons behind the trend. One, in states in the South and West of America, residents tend to marry younger than those in the Northeast, which in turn more often leads to eventual marital discord. Two, these states also have a larger population of immigrants, and the loss of a supportive familial and social network can put a strain on many immigrant marriages, resulting in higher divorce rates.

Click the link below for the rest of the article!

Visit Website

Posted by Ken at 1:43 AM - Link to this entry  |  Share this entry  |  Print