While politics plays an important role in a thriving democracy, it may also be playing an important -- and detrimental -- role in marriages, as a new report suggests that political disagreements are causing an increase in divorces.
According to a report from Axios, Washington, D.C.-area lawyers have reported that political disagreements have sparked an increase in relationship troubles, with more marriages deciding to call a quits because of their political beliefs.
The report comes as the nation reexamines and acknowledges its partisan divide following the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump.
While in the days after Trump’s assassination, both he and President Joe Biden called for unity, saying that rhetoric needed to be toned down, those calls have since fallen on deaf ears.
With polls showing that partisan divides are resulting in increased animosity towards those with differing beliefs, relationships appear to be suffering.
D.C. lawyer Cheryl New shared with Axios that for the first time in her 35-year career, she is now seeing political and ideological differences play a role in divorces.
“[It’s no longer] ‘Who do you want for president?’ It branches into many other areas of how you have to relate to your spouse,” New shared.
While New acknowledged that many of those getting divorced already had preexisting problems, the issue has only been made worse, with disagreements arising about how to raise children, whether or not to use private or public schools, thoughts on gun ownership, and more, all playing a role.
“There were many straws before, but the camel was still hanging in there [before politics factored in],” New said.
New also says that tensions in relationships may be even higher at the moment due to this year being an election year.
Still, as issues arise, divorce rates have started to trend down in recent years, with marriage rates moving upward.
A CNN report found that in 2022, the divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 people, compared to 2000 when it was 4 per 1,000.