They say that nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, but why? I mean, if
Jay-Z and Beyonce worked it out, can't we all work it out?
Marriage is tough, and every relationship goes through rough patches. The reasons for getting divorced are complicated, and vary from couple to couple, depending on their unique relationship (and whether or not there was a "Becky with the good hair"). But there is one factor that influences everyone's happiness: their job.
The Institute for Family Studies analyzed data from the American Community Survey, looking at each occupation, and calculating the percentage of people who got divorced. It makes sense to consider the effects of careers on relationships. Couples with low income jobs might have more financial problems. Couples with stressful jobs might have more trouble connecting to each other. Also, Walter White quit his job as a high school science teacher to become a crystal meth cook and that did not bode well for his marriage to Skyler.
When ranking jobs with the lowest divorce rates, IFS discovered that almost every occupation had incomes of at least $75,000. (The two exceptions being the clergy and "directors;" that's not movie directors, it's "directors" of religion and education.) There's a clear connection between relationship stability and employment prospects. It's official: money buys happiness!
Actuaries have the lowest divorce rate, which makes sense. For their jobs, they measure and manage risk and uncertainty. They probably used those math skills to pick out the perfect partner, instead of getting a boozy Vegas wedding with a one night stand. Actually, there's a lot of scientific occupations on this list - physical scientists, medical scientists, software developers, optometrists, surgeons. Maybe they use their analytic minds to work out all their relationship issues. Or maybe nerds are just drop dead sexy and nobody wants to divorce them.
When ranking jobs with the
highest divorce rates, IFS discovered that gaming managers were at the very top (maybe you can chalk it up to working in sleazy places like casinos?). They were followed by bartenders, which isn't surprising, as they're meeting drunk single people all the time. Next on the list is flight attendants, who are always traveling, which would put a strain on every relationship. But again, there's a huge financial connection: All of these occupations typically make less then $35,000 a year. Basically, to quote the Wu-Tang Clan, "Cash rules everything around us."
The Institute for Family Studies explained the financial connection:
"One question that does not command enough attention is why the correlation between relationship stability and employment prospects is so strong. We suspect that employment instability, as opposed to low income per se, may be part of the explanation.
For those who are not wealthy, marriage has risks as well as benefits. In the United States, the median working-age household has approximately $5,000 in retirement savings, and more than half of Americans have less than $1,000 in the bank.
Commitment to a partner with an unstable income—someone who runs up the credit card bills, incurs large health care expenses, or needs to be bailed out of jail—can diminish family savings."
So, if you want to be happily married, become an actuary. If you want to get divorced and die alone, become a gaming manager. Or maybe you should consider becoming a rapper like Jay-Z or a singer like Beyonce - then your relationship will get through anything.
