Shift Work Blamed For Rise In Divorce Rate
The growing number of people in need of the best solicitors Chesham has to offer to deal with divorce proceedings could be down to the way the modern workplace operates, according to The Telegraph.
Lawyers say that the trend for working nights and irregular hours is playing more and more into the reasons behind divorces, with some practices seeing growth from 7 per cent of divorce cases to 35 per cent in the last three years.
Irregular hours can cause a strain on a couple, but according to some solicitors, they’re also seeing that working late nights with colleagues can create a ‘breeding ground for infidelity’.
Other solicitors have worked on cases where shift workers feel ‘ostracised’ from family life, as they’re not able to participate fully in it.
One solicitor, quoted by The Telegraph, described how irregular work schedules can stop families being able to have a ‘normal’ life: “Prioritisation of work over family life due to economic necessity could lead to a chaotic and ad hoc lifestyle, which places additional strain on a couple and the family unit generally,” she said.
However, this trend is not just anecdotal, it’s also backed by research. Over 15 years ago, research carried out in the US found that divorce was six times more likely in shift working men during the first five years of marriage.
With the number of people working nights now at 3.1 million, up since 250,000 in 2011, along with the rise in zero hour contracts, there is far more unstable and less social working hour positions available for workers.