10 Professions That Are Surprisingly a Red Flag for a Lasting Marriage
It’s not always the obvious things that test a relationship. Sometimes, it’s the job someone brings home, literally or emotionally. Certain careers come with long hours or high stress that can chip away at a marriage over time. Here are ten professions that, according to personal stories and trends, can complicate lasting partnerships more than people expect.
Restaurant Managers and Owners
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The food service world doesn’t take weekends off. Managers often clock 12-hour shifts and even cover last-minute callouts. These jobs demand constant physical and mental presence, which leaves little room for anything else. The industry’s burnout rate is high, and relationships often pay the price.
Surgeons
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Surgeons aren’t just dealing with high stakes in the operating room. The personality traits that make them excel — hyper-focus, emotional detachment, perfectionism — don’t always transfer well into a marriage. Plus, residency can last up to seven years, often with 80-hour workweeks. Even after that, call schedules and stress levels stay intense.
Over-the-Road Truck Drivers
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Extended time away from home can change the dynamic of any marriage. One Redditor shared a story of a former driver who regretted missing years of family life, and whose spouse turned to painkillers from the pressure of raising their kids alone.
Investment Bankers
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Finance roles can be lucrative, but they often require complete availability. Late-night calls, client dinners, and weekend “emergencies” are standard. In one thread, a user mentioned that lifestyle inflation — not just stress — also complicates things. Partners see more of their spouse’s Outlook calendar than their actual face.
Flight Attendants
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Jet lag and constant travel leave flight attendants physically and mentally stretched. Their job revolves around adapting quickly and hiding frustration; these are practical skills on a plane, but less so in a relationship.
Service Officers
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There’s the job, and then there’s what the job brings home. Policing involves high-stress situations, trauma exposure, and a chain of command that doesn’t leave much room for emotional processing. Studies have also flagged concerning domestic violence rates within law enforcement households.
Country Service Members
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Deployment means long separations with limited communication. That alone strains even the strongest relationships. But the challenges don’t stop there, as many return home with PTSD or other trauma, which takes a serious toll. Navy families even have a grim joke about wedding rings “disappearing” the moment ships leave port.
Lawyers
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Being trained to argue isn’t always a benefit at home. Law is a competitive, high-pressure field that attracts detail-oriented, analytical thinkers. In relationships, those traits sometimes turn everyday disagreements into debates. Partners have described feeling like they were always defensive, even in minor discussions.
Film and TV Crew Members
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Behind the glamour of movies and shows are long production days that stretch 12 hours or more. Workers might be on location for months, often without weekends off. The schedule makes it hard to plan anything—birthdays, dinners, even doctor visits.
Stand-Up Comedians
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Their job is to make people laugh, sometimes at your expense. Comics often mine their personal lives for material, which means private moments become punchlines. The lifestyle can feel untethered, with unpredictable income and constant networking. Some partners end up feeling more like a premise than a priority.