Happy Valentine’s Day: These Jobs Increase Your Chances of Divorce

On February 14 we celebrate love in the name of St. Valentine, who was beaten, stoned, and decapitated because of his support of marriage. So, basically, it’s always been a bummer of a holiday, which brings us to divorce.

Here are, according to a 5-year study, are the professions most prone to unhappily ever after.

1. Gaming managers 52.9 percent
2. Bartenders 52.7 percent
3. Flight Attendants 50.5 percent
4. Gaming Services Workers 50.3 percent
5. Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, metal and Plastic 50.1 percent
6. Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service 49.7 percent
7. Extruding and Drawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 49.6 percent
8. Telemarketers 49.2 percent
9. Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Operators 48.9 percent
10. Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders 48.8 percent

And the professions with the lowest divorce rate?

1. Actuaries 17% percent
2. Physical Scientists 18.9 percent
3. Medical Scientists, and Life Scientists 19.6 percent
4. Clergy 19.8 percent
5. Software developers, applications and systems software 20.3 percent
6. Physical Therapists 20.7 percent
7. Optometrists 20.8 percent
8. Chemical Engineers 21.1 percent
9. Directors, Religious Activities and Education 21.3 percent
10. Physicians and Surgeons 21.8 percent

Do you notice something different between the two groups? It seems that jobs that require higher levels of education are more stable in terms of marriage. This is not to say you should choose your profession based on the probability of divorce, but it is to say that blue collar jobs appear to need special care.

Sarah Corse, Ph.D., an associate professor of sociology in U. of Va.’s College of Arts & Sciences says:

“Working-class people with insecure work and few resources, little stability and no ability to plan for a foreseeable future become concerned with their own survival and often become unable to imagine being able to provide materially and emotionally for others.”

If your business involves blue-collar work, consider how you can help provide your employees with security and stability. Even things such as regular schedules can be helpful in reducing stress.

But, regardless, it’s important to note that even the most vulnerable jobs have a divorce rate just over 50 percent, meaning that the probabilities are on your side, no matter what you do for a living.