working women while mothering young kids will cause divorce, most of the time.

WRONG. let's find out the truth! the following questions and answers on the topic of working women was researched by my friend, annie, for one of our class projects. as a soon-to-be-mft, it's important to be up to date and know what research is saying. and it's fun to share with you, of course.

annie wrote:

Many women wonder what kind of impact working outside the home has on their marriages. New research has some of the answers...

Does women’s employment increase the risk of divorce? No. Research shows that women’s employment does not increase the risk of divorce, but unhappiness in the marriage does. Women’s employment has no impact on happy marriages and does not destabilize marriages unless the marriage is unhappy to begin with.

Why does some research show that dual income marriages have higher rates of divorce? Women who work outside the home are more likely to divorce if unhappily married than those who don’t work. Working and making money enables women to leave unhappy marriages.

What impact does it have on marriages if the wife is more successful than the husband? It’s unclear. There doesn’t seem to be increased rates of divorce in marriages where the wife makes more money than the husband. However, divorce rates increase dramatically in marriages where the husband is unemployed.

Is it better to live with your partner before you get married? It depends. Contrary to popular thought, couples who live together before marriage have no greater risk of divorce than those who do not, if they are happy living together. If you are happy living with your partner you’ll probably be happy in your marriage. However if you are unhappy living with your partner, DO NOT get married. [duh]

What’s the best age to get married? Research shows that women who marry after the age of 25 have less risk of divorce.

What impact does your childhood have on whether you’ll be happily married? Women who grew up in intact homes have less risk of divorce. Additionally, women who had a poor relationship with their father growing up have a greater risk of divorce. If you grew up in a broken or dysfunctional home, it’s probably best to get some therapy before you get married :)

source: Astone, Nan Marie, Kim, Young J., Rothert, Kendra, Schoen, Robert, Standish, Nicola J., (2002), Women’s Employment, Marital Happiness, and Divorce, Social Forces, 81(20: 643-662)

and here's my addition: no matter what research says, everyone has a different story to tell. [THANK GOD]