A workaholic wife may signal marital trouble

More time in the office could mean trouble in paradise.

By Kristin Wong Nov 15, 2012 4:37PM

Wife working late? A new study says it might be a sign that divorce is right around the corner.

Researchers from the London School of Economics studied the legalization of divorce in Ireland to determine how the rates of marriage breakdown affect women's participation in the workforce. They found that for every 1 percent increase in the risk of marital breakdown, women work an extra 12 minutes per week.

"We see that women who are at a higher risk of divorce significantly increase how much they work. And it isn't that women working outside the home are more likely to get divorced," Dr. Berkay Ozcan, the study's lead researcher, explained of the findings.

While the simple answer may be that women spend more time at work to avoid marital strife, Ozcan says it's a bit more complex.

"Rather, faced with a rising probability of divorce, women work more, whether they ultimately separate or not. They are working as a form of insurance in case of divorce or in anticipation of it."

Essentially, women who think divorce may be in their future work more in an attempt to secure "their outside options." For men, this link didn't exist — their productivity remained the same whether their marriage was on the rocks or not.

The researchers found that, following the legislation, married women increased their work hours by around 18 percent. While it might seem like a smart move to secure your role at work amid the looming threat of a costly divorce, Ozcan says there's a definite downside:

"Women who have secured their outside options, in case of divorce, may have done so, at least in the short run, at the expense of their leisure time and potentially their well-being."

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18Comments

Best

Nov 25, 2012 6:36PM

I agree with Cool888guy, most of these mindless questions submitted by MSN never give you enough options to allow you to answer in a truthful / accurate way. You can only chose from their agenda driven answers.

Yet, here I am responding, go figure.

Previous replies

The Irreverent Reverend

Nov 25, 2012 4:41PM

The question is not in line with the study. The study indicates that women are working more when they feel their relationship is in peril, not that working more is causing problems.

Previous replies

puppcry

Nov 25, 2012 8:39PM

With the economy being as bad as it is, I took a job in retail. I'm fortunate in the fact that I can pretty much set my hours and work as much as I want without any hassles. This is great because without my check, we might have lost our home so I work as many hours as I can. The problem is the job is physically demanding and after working 10-12 hour days for sometimes six days in a row, I'm often too tired to do all the things I used to do when I was unemployed (I'm not exactly a spring chicken anymore). Although they agreed to help out when I got this job that saved our home, I get a lot of dirty looks when I tell a family member to cook their own dinner or wash their own clothes. I wish I could get them to help out willingly and with a smile without having to constantly remind them that we could be out on the streets. My husband is usually the biggest complainer---he's disabled and runs a small business out of our house but agreed to help out with the housework. Everytime he pulls out the vaccuum he looks like somebody smacked him in the face with a wet towel.

Previous replies

EauNeau

Nov 25, 2012 11:10PM

I'd say some women work more hours so they don't have to communicate/discuss issues with their husbands. It makes for a convenient excuse.

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FED-UP 6030

Nov 25, 2012 7:32PM

WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL? MEN have always worked extra to pay the bills or to purchase what was needed. Now we have a society that requires a two paycheck marriage just to get by, thanks to WOMEN'S LIB and now they want to cry about too much work. People need to wake up and realize what is important, don't let society dictate what you should do.

Previous replies

recession what is it good for

Nov 26, 2012 7:04AM

No. It pays the bills???? This is the reason why the families hurt because it takes two parents working to make enough and maybe something extra for a morale boost but that's it . There is a breaking point you know where its not enough to keep "everyone" happy. while Big Wall St. is raking in the profits with high cost of living all around us and stagnation of wages. Have you noticed every time there is a minimum wage increase cost of everyday things catch up just as quick. That's how the keep the man down:(

Previous replies

Toldin

Nov 25, 2012 4:36PM

I think the bigger question is why don't men follow the same pattern

Previous replies

Ironboots

Nov 26, 2012 12:42AM

The irony is, the fact that women must (or simply want to) work outside the home can be part of the reason why the marriage is going south. The cost of so called freedom or women's rights to work, etc, has negatively impacted many a marriage. And, at the same time, there have been positive impacts. There is no cut and dry case....each family must decide for themselves. Either way, there is a cost.