There are many factors that can lead to divorce, and according to a new Danish study the number of members of the opposite sex in your office can affect your chances of splitting up with your spouse.
The study, “Higher divorce risk when mates are plentiful? Evidence from Denmark,” concludes that that ratio of one gender to another is a key factor. Researchers determined that as the ratio of opposite-sex coworkers increased, so did the risk of divorce.
Researchers examined opposite-sex couples in Denmark who were married between 1981–2002. They found that men who worked almost solely with women were about 15 per cent more likely to divorce than men who worked mostly with other men. Women who worked largely with men were 10 per cent more likely to split up with their spouses.
Higher education also played a role.
“Results indicate that an abundance of partners of the opposite sex in one’s occupational sector is more strongly associated with divorce for men, especially those with high education, while for highly educated women, the association is weak or non-existing,” the researchers wrote.
Not surprisingly, divorce rates were highest in work environments with younger employees, such as hotels and restaurants, while divorce rates were lowest in workplaces with older employees, such as libraries and farms.
Researchers believe Denmark was the perfect setting for the study because “divorce is broadly accepted, whether or not a couple has children, and both men and women typically stay active in the labour market after starting a family.”
Should you be worried if your spouse appears to have a close relationship with a colleague? Experts believe it is time to be suspicious if a spouse changes his or her work schedule, increases the privacy settings on his or her phone and/or social media, acts more distant, and starts focusing more on appearance.
How many people cheat at the office? Infidelity statistics have shown that 36 per cent of men and women admit to having an affair with a coworker.
