Lower divorce rates for nurses, other health care professionals

Medical professionals in Wisconsin may be interested to learn that they might be less likely to get divorced than people who do not work in the health care field. According to a study published in February, while 35 percent of people working in fields other than health care are divorced, only 23 percent of pharmacists and 24 percent of doctors have seen their marriages end. Dentists, hospital administrators and nurses are also divorced at a lower rate ranging from 25 to 33 percent.

The study extended from 2008 to 2013 and involved over 240,000 medical professionals as well as people in other occupations. Researchers say they did find a disparity between men and women who were physicians. Women doctors had a divorce rate that was 1.5 times higher than that of male doctors. Furthermore, female doctors who worked in excess of 40 hours per week were more likely to be divorced than their counterparts who worked less. The opposite was true, however, for male doctors.

The study’s lead author reported that women struggle more with a balance between their personal life and their professional obligations and said that more research should be done to examine the issue more closely. However, the senior study author pointed out that overall, the research demonstrates that individuals who are interested in working in the medical field but are concerned that the profession might have a negative impact on their personal lives may have little cause for worry.

Medical professionals who are going through the divorce process may be dealing with issues that are common in their profession. For example, since some medical jobs pay high salaries, there may be many assets that need to be divided. One spouse may be a stay-at-home parent, and this might result in a child and spousal support order.

Source: U.S. News & World Report, “Doctors Less Likely to Divorce, Study Finds”, Robert Preidt, Feb. 19, 2015