10 Professions With The Highest Divorce Rate [Updated 2024]

1. Bartenders

Alcohol leads people to do a lot of things they regret, especially if they drink in excess. Perhaps that’s why people who work as bartenders have a higher divorce rate than any other job.

People who drink are often flirtatious, and many bartenders will have the occasional drink on the job, especially when dissatisfied with their employment due to low pay or other circumstances.

This can create a recipe for disaster when it comes to marital fidelity, one of the primary reasons marriages end. Even if someone wouldn’t ordinarily be the type of person to cheat on their spouse, they’re often encountering opportunities to make mistakes when working in a bar environment.

2. Exotic Dancers or Adult Performance Artists

Adult performance artists and exotic dancers can have fulfilling marriages. However, these partnerships will only work if both spouses have a clear understanding of where their boundaries are and how those boundaries should be respected. In addition, these professions are some of the jobs with the highest rates of divorce.

Exotic dancers often live on the edge of sexual boundaries, which can create tension, insecurity, and jealousy in a relationship where both partners don’t have relaxed boundaries. Many people wouldn’t be comfortable with their significant other working in a sex-driven occupation, and this can lead to divorce for married exotic dancers.

3. Military Supervisors

Military supervisors have difficult, high-stress jobs that send them all over the world. In some ways, the entire country is a military supervisor’s family. They’ve signed on to protect their fellow soldiers and serve as the first line of defense for every single civilian back home. It’s a tall order.

Military supervisors don’t often get to see their spouses or their children due to their military commitments. This physical distance can also lead to emotional distance. Many spouses of military members feel lonely. Some couples cannot withstand the distance, ultimately choosing divorce.

4. Medical and Healthcare Workers

Medical supervisors and healthcare support workers like medical assistants and physical therapists have very stressful jobs. Many people’s lives are in their hands on a daily basis, and they work long hours. It can take a significant physical and emotional toll on someone.

They may not have the time or energy to be present for their spouse, which can lead to the breakdown of a marriage.

People who work in the healthcare field or medical industry do vital, life-saving work every day. Society as we know it couldn’t exist without their meaningful contributions to human health. Without optometrists, many people couldn’t see, and without surgeons, many people couldn’t walk.

However, despite these jobs’ importance, it can be difficult to set the burdens of the job down and focus on living a life outside of work, but finding a way to create a work-life balance can be crucial for their personal happiness and the health of their relationships.

In addition, the high rate of divorce among medical workers extends to life scientists and physical scientists. These careers come with similar high-stress dynamics and long hours, which may contribute to their higher divorce rates.

5. Gaming Services Workers

Many people in casinos gamble more than they’re actually willing to bet. People who work at casinos or in other gambling environments are more likely to get divorced than many other professionals.

Gaming managers are slightly more likely to get divorced than other gaming services workers. Managers take on more work-related stress than general workers. Combine work-related stress with flowing alcohol and an environment that encourages people to take risks, and you have a recipe for disaster.

6. Flight Attendants

People often become flight attendants because they love the idea of a profession that allows them to travel. Being a flight attendant often isn’t as glamorous as it seems.

Many flight attendants never have the opportunity to explore their new destinations. They have enough time to shower and sleep before they’re on to the next leg of their journey. They’re away from home all the time, and the constant stress of travel can wear them down.

Every relationship with a flight attendant is a long-distance relationship, and long-distance relationships often fail. When you spend a lot of time away from your spouse, your bond may weaken.

7. Telemarketers and Switchboard Operators

Telemarketers and switchboard operators work completely different jobs, but the details surrounding those jobs are the same. They sit in a chair all day and deal with phones.

Telemarketers attempt to sell products or services, and switchboard operators connect callers to other people who can solve their problems. They’re both speaking with people on the phone all day, and the people on the other end are likely stressed out or unhappy.

Many people find these professions to be unfulfilling, and nobody likes to spend the entire day getting yelled at by strangers. It’s hard to cope with a job you don’t like that leaves you feeling exhausted at the end of the day.

Perhaps that contributes to problems within a marriage, and that’s why people who work as telemarketers or switchboard operators have some of the highest divorce rates.

8. Dancers and Choreographers

Dancers in ballet and other types of performance or theater have some of the highest divorce rates. While jealousy may play a role, as dancers often dance with partners, it could also be the tremendous amount of dedication required to rise to the top of the field that places strain on marriages.

Ballerinas often struggle with body image, as their profession demands that they maintain as thin of a physique as humanly possible. They often report extreme body dissatisfaction, with many displaying symptoms of eating disorders.

Severe issues with self-esteem and self-injurious behavior can take a heavy negative toll on a person. They may have issues with intimacy or self-worth that can pose tragic consequences to a marriage.

9. Massage Therapists

Massage therapists do great work. Their services are helpful to people who live with chronic pain and people recovering from serious injuries. They have the potential to change lives for the better, but their profession may change their marriages for the worst.

Massage therapists work long hours, and the work they do involves direct hands-on contact with people. This doesn’t necessarily lead to infidelity, but it seems to lead to issues within marriage, according to statistics. The fatigue that comes along with such a demanding job can also leave massage therapists feeling worn down.

10. Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Operators

About half of married textile workers will ultimately divorce their spouses. Employees in this industry have some of the highest divorce rates.

There is no clear correlation or speculation as to why this industry is so heavily affected by divorce. It may relate to a lack of career fulfillment and being tired at the end of the day. If you feel deeply dissatisfied with your work, it’s hard to come home happy at the end of the day.

Avoiding Divorce If You or Your Spouse Works in These Professions

Your marriage isn’t doomed just because you or your spouse works in one of these professions. Likewise, working in a career demographic with the lowest divorce rates doesn’t safeguard your marriage. If the profession is clearly creating a problem in your marriage, finding a new job can fix the issue.

When long hours or distance are putting a strain on your marriage, the only thing you can do is make an effort to spend more time together.

Correlation is not always causation. The reason that people in these fields get divorced isn’t always directly related to the profession. For example, a military supervisor may divorce her husband because he has a substance use disorder and won’t seek help.

In this case, the profession doesn’t relate to the divorce, and switching career paths won’t change the outcome of the marriage.

Counseling can be helpful for many couples who are seeking an alternative to divorce. While counseling only works about half the time, it may be worth taking the chance to rekindle your marriage.