Firefighters have very high-stress work. They face many things in connection to their job, from safety hazards to unusual work hours. Do they also face an increased risk of divorce?
It is a common assumption that firefighters have a higher likelihood of divorce. But what does research have to say about this? A study from a few years ago suggests that this common assumption isn’t fully accurate.
This research reviewed data covering nearly 1,500 firefighters from 31 fire departments. The departments in question came from throughout the nation.
The study found that female firefighters did tend to show higher-than-average divorce rates. However, the sample size of female firefighters was small and the research didn’t point to what was behind this link.
Meanwhile, the study found that, for male firefighters, the common assumption about firefighters and divorce appears to be wrong. Male firefighters were found to have divorce rates not far off from the general population.
Of course, this sort of data just regards general trends. How likely a divorce is for any given couple, including those in which one spouse is a firefighter, depends on the couple’s unique circumstances.
When a firefighter is in divorce proceedings, the unique aspects of his or her work can raise some important issues in his or her divorce. For example, the unusual work hours firefighters have can raise some special scheduling issues when it comes to child custody. Firefighters can go to divorce attorneys for help in addressing the issues that come up in their divorce proceedings.
