Long commuting: Passport to divorce?

Those who spend a long time on trains or stuck in cars shuttling to the office are up to 40 per cent more likely to split from their spouse, according to a new study. In fact, the risk is highest in the first few years of marriage when the dream of life together gives way to the daily grind.

Those who spend a long time on trains or stuck in cars shuttling to the office are up to 40 per cent more likely to split from their spouse, according to a new study.



The Swedish study said that the risk is highest in the first few years of marriage when the dream of life together gives way to the daily grind, reports the Daily Mail.

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Researchers from Umea University said if one partner - most likely the husband - spends 45 minutes or more commuting they would come home too tired to help around the house.



This would create a ‘breeding ground for conflict’ that would leave the other person feeling like they are being taken for granted. The study looked at statistical data from two million Swedish households between 1995 and 2000.



The researchers cited the figure of 45 minutes as the kind of commute which could do damage to relationships.



They found that in families where the man commutes, the woman is often forced to take a less qualified job closer to home, which means both less money as well as a larger share of the responsibility for kids and household.



"One of the long-term risks with commuting is that it can sustain gender-based stereotypes both at home and in the labour market," said study author Erika Sandow.