How long is your daily commute? Many people spend hours on the road every day, or at least every week. This is especially true if you work in the city but live in the suburbs, meaning that your job is likely too far away to walk or bike, so you always have to use a vehicle to commute to the job site.
The length of this commute could have an impact on the odds that you and your spouse will get divorced. Some studies have found that divorce rates go up by about 40% if your commute is in excess of 45 minutes.
Spending time apart
The biggest reason for this is just that the time apart adds up. If you have to commute 45 minutes just to get to work, that means you have to spend a minimum of an hour and a half on the road every single day. That works out to 7 1/2 hours over the course of just one week. You’re essentially working an entire extra day, which you just spend behind the wheel.
The cumulative toll of all this extra time means that you’re giving up nearly 8 hours with your spouse, your children and your responsibilities at home. If you do have children and they are involved in school activities or sports, you may spend more time commuting to and from these events. Life becomes very busy, you don’t get to spend any one-on-one time with your spouse, and the two of you could find yourselves drifting apart.
This isn’t to say that your commute alone is going to undermine your marriage, but just that it’s one factor that can play a role. Anything that keeps couples from spending time together could eventually lead to a divorce. If you and your spouse decide to split up, especially if you have to divide child custody rights, you need to know what legal steps to take.