What You Need to Know About the Doctor Divorce Rate…Especially as a Female Physician

Common wisdom may lead to the assumption that doctors are ripe for divorce. After all, they tend to work long hours and experience a high level of stress on the job. Certain doctors, like ER physicians and gynecologists, may need to rush off to work in the middle of the night to save a life or bring a new one into the world. It makes sense that the doctor divorce rate would be high.

That’s why it’s surprising that a study published in the BMJ found that doctor divorce rates are lower than almost all other medical care workers and significantly lower than the general public. The authors of the report conducted surveys of 200,000 healthcare practitioners, including over 40,000 physicians between 2008 and 2013. They found that physicians experienced a divorce rate of 24 percent, whereas 31 percent of healthcare executives and 33 percent of nurses experienced divorce. This compares to a general 35 percent divorce rate among the general public.

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"Being in the process of divorce (or even thinking about it) it's scary. A reliable source of information is crucial to feel empowered and make good, long-term decisions. Second Saturday opens a honest discussion so we can face our worst fears, have a plan, and understand how the divorce process works. Mark and Dana manage to be professional and share accurate and thorough information while understanding the turmoil, grief and deep challenges we are going through. I strongly recommend this workshop for anyone who needs information, hope, resources, a clearer picture or all of the above."

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"Attending the workshop has given me great knowledge and confidence in navigating a very complicated and emotional process for myself and my family. Mark and his team of therapists and attorneys gave a overview of details that were so insightful and helpful and felt that when the workshop was over I was feeling more postive and optimistic to the next steps. The resources and comfort that was shared by the other women was inspirational and felt at ease sharing my struggles and story. This was so helpful and I am grateful that Mark Flowers has created for the support in the community."

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"I think there is a lot of fear around divorce. Fear of uncertainty. Fear of what the future will bring. Fear of the process. I was fearful once, myself, when I went through the process prior to becoming a divorce attorney. No one can take away uncertainty about the future, but I learned I can help alleviate fear regarding the process of getting a divorce. Knowledge is power. And when I provide knowledge to people about the process, I can see some of their fear melt away. I love helping people in this way."