Long commutes have been linked to an increase in divorce rates. For instance, one study looked at people who had a commute of more than 45 minutes and were in relatively new relationships. It found that their odds of getting a divorce went up by 40%.
But why does this happen? Wouldn’t stable employment be an indicator of a more stable relationship that is less likely to result in divorce? Why does it matter how long the person’s commute is?
Couples can drift apart
Essentially, what’s happening is that these couples are drifting apart over time simply because they aren’t spending as much time together. If someone spends an hour and a half on the road every day—plus the time that they actually spend on the job—the time they have to spend with their new spouse is rather limited. This can quickly cause their satisfaction in the relationship to decline.
Interestingly, couples that were in long-term relationships—five years or more—didn’t always see the same increase in divorce odds if one of them had a long commute. This could be because their relationship already had a stronger foundation, having been together for a longer amount of time. This makes it easier for them to adjust to the long commute. They’d already worked through those issues, and they felt more committed to one another.
Younger couples, by contrast, may simply realize that this isn’t the type of relationship they envisioned for themselves and decide to move toward divorce.
If you and your spouse are going to get divorced this year, be sure you understand all of your legal rights when it comes to property division, child custody rights and much more.