8 Common Predictors Of Divorce And What They Mean For Your Relationship

Divorce rates in the United States have been cause for concern since the '80s, despite finally being on the decline. The puzzlingly high percentage of marriages that end in divorce, however, have pushed experts to study the causes of this phenomenon.

There are lots of behaviors that can predict a divorce: from the most obvious ones, like a cheating husband who can't keep his pants on, to the most confusing ones, like having a daughter.

Yes, this is one of the strangest predictors of divorce, according to the latest studies.

We often hear that half of all couples divorce, but the real numbers are not that grim.

In reality, one third of the married couples get a divorce and an expensive mediation, which can be avoided, if you work on avoiding the reasons for divorce.

1. Carrying on virtual relationships

Many believe that online dating doesn't count as an affair, as long as there are no physical meetings.

The grim reality is that a cyber-relationship leads to divorce, as the emotional impact of such a relationship is identical to that of physical cheating.

2. Spending too much on the wedding

Money is definitely one of the major causes of fights and divorce in couples, so is it any wonder why spending too much on the wedding puts a strain on the new relationship?

So how much is too much?

With the average American wedding costing around 26,600 dollars, the new family is bound to have some money issues. Add preexisting student debt to this and you're sprinting toward a divorce.

Plus the divorce itself will cost you between 15,000 and 20,000 dollars. Fun, right?

3. Where you live

A study conducted by professor Jennifer Glass, from University of Texas, found that divorces are more frequent in the red states.

Surprisingly, this means divorces are more frequent in more religious areas (think Arkansas) than in more liberal ones (think New York or New Jersey).

4. Your education level

While one might think that a couple without student debt is likely to be happier, there are still problems that accompany not pursuing higher education.

Couples with high school education are more likely to get a divorce, compared to their college-educated peers.

The logic behind this is that college education comes with better money management skills and higher paid jobs, which reduce the amount of fights over money in the relationship.

5. A long commute

A study found that divorce rates were higher among couples who had long commutes. Spending more than 45 minutes on the way home from work seems to add a lot of stress on a relationship.

6. Having a daughter

This is probably the strangest cause of a divorce, but once you understand the logic behind it, it makes sense.

According to a study, couples who had boys were less likely to divorce, compared to couples who had daughters.

This is because the mother wants to set a good example for her daughter, which motivates her to divorce when the relationship turns sour.

7. Too much social media

When the partners use social media too much, there is a higher chance they will wind up divorcing.

The reason is simple: Liking photos of an ex, commenting on an old crush's profile or flirting online all tend to destabilize a relationship.

Some lawyers claim Facebook alone constitutes a great deal of the divorces they see.

8. Not splitting the housework evenly

This one is a classic for predicting divorce. If your partner is waiting for you to do all the cleaning, all the laundry and cooking, you're going to get sick of it one day.

Depending where you live, you might want to talk about sharing household duties with your partner, so you don't end up resenting them before eventually calling it quits.