Top 10 Careers that Lead to Divorce
By Josh Simon

You’ll rarely find the words “marriage” and “easy” in the same sentence; unless that sentence is something like: “I can’t believe how easy some people think marriage is…what kind of chemical makes a person think that?”

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And now, University of Virginia researchers Shawn P. McCoy and Michael G. Aamodt have shed light on another degree of marital difficulty by uncovering the top careers that may bring in the green, but often have couples seeing red – all the way to a divorce. Below are the top 10 divorce-triggering careers:

Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers. (Divorce rate: 28.49%)

No major surprise here. Beautiful bodies, big egos, lots of travel, adoring fans, and for some, massive disposable income…add it all up, and it kind of makes you wonder if that number is on the low side!

Nursing, psychiatric, and home health aides. (Divorce rate: 28.95%)

Caregivers who spend all day helping others sometimes find that they don’t have much left in the tank for their own relationships. They can also struggle with not getting enough care from their own support network (including their spouse) to help restore the balance.

Telephone operators. (Divorce rate: 29.30%)

This one seems a bit odd, until you think of two things: many operators work shifts that aren’t always family-friendly, and if you literally spent all day talking to people, how eager would you be to chat with your spouse after coming home from a long, exhausting day of work?

Factory workers: food and tobacco (Divorce rate: 29.78%)

The study takes a bit of a tragic turn with this one, because the real culprit here is the accidents, injuries and illnesses that food and tobacco workers endure – which puts major pressure and stress on a marriage.

Gaming service worker. (Divorce rate: 31.35%)

The tragic theme continues, but in a more glamorous setting. Gaming service workers are surrounded by temptations at every turn: from gambling, to substance abuse, to dealing out cards for folks in search of a fling.

Extruding machine operators (Divorce rate: 32.74%)

This one’s a bit of a head scratcher; at least as far as trying to figure out why people who are so great at handling extruding machines aren’t so great at keeping their marriage together. We’ll keep scratching our heads on this one.

Gaming cage worker/cashier (Divorce rate: 34.66)

The reasoning here echoes the spiel for the Gaming Service Workers – lots of temptation, lots of folks in search of instant gratification, and lots of pressure (being stared at constantly by “the eye in the sky” probably does something unhealthy to a person…)

Massage therapists (Divorce rate: 38.22)

No surprise here, although we certainly aren’t going to suggest that nearly 4 in 10 Massage Therapists are heading for divorce because they’re giving clients a happier ending than they ought to. It’s more likely that spouses who have jealousy issues struggle mightily with what their Massage Therapist significant other does for a living.

Bartenders (Divorce rate: 38.43)

When you consider how many people go to bars in search of one-night stands (that usually only last about 30 minutes, anyway), or who lend a sympathetic ear to spouses-in-distress, it’s a wonder that this number isn’t higher. Really, the 61.53% of bartenders who keep their marriage together should get some kind of medal of distinction. Or at least a free drink now and then.

Dancers and choreographers (Divorce rate: 43.05)

We’ll let you imaginations run wild (perhaps frolicking and gyrating on the dance floor, if you wish) to figure out why this group is divorcing most often. Hint: it probably has to do with all of that frolicking and gyrating; not to mention Olympian bodies, lots of sweat, and skin-tight clothing might we well be painted on.

For more Divorce News, visit www.divorcemag.com/articles/Divorce_News/.

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